Intoxicated
by Magikatfish
Summary: Kiri and Artemis were made for each other. Well, Kiri was made for Artemis. His entire legacy had been one long quest to join Artemis on the front lines as a dedicated healer. But that was before everything else. Now he's stuck in a life-threatening quest to save the town, and himself, from Elena's poison.
1. Chapter 1

**Sooo... I wrote this a while ago, wasn't planning on posting it here but I needed evidence that it exists so might as well~ I'll just be posting it at all once, it's already complete and everything x3 Please enjoy~**

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><p>A bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky with a blinding flash and traced the arching path of a glowing purple orb. It made contact with a glob of sickly green flesh and consumed it whole. The hand encased in brown gloves with metal armbands, connected to the silver handle of the aforementioned purple orb, held the weapon completely still as the sizzling sound and putrid smell of thoroughly cooked meat filled the dreary, mold infested forest. The damp, spongy grass underfoot squelched when the charred corpse fell to the ground with a dull thump, and a handful of battered copper pieces rolled towards the heavy leather boots that stood nearby. A figure sheathed the gleaming purple weapon as well as a small wooden shield and stooped down to pick up the coins. They clattered together in his pinched fingers and he sighed in contentment as he stashed them away in a thick leather bag, and a vaguely handsome smile of greed curled his lips up.<p>

Kirienne was a cleric, a priest to be exact, and he was fresh out of the snowy wonderland that is Mana Ridge. It was not much of a wonderland to Kirienne, however, and he was glad to get away from there. There were too many memories, all of which painful in one way or another, and he wished to leave all of them buried under the mounds of frozen snow. The one thing that had kept his spirits up throughout his days training and struggling in Mana Ridge was the knowledge of the person he was working to help. As a priest, Kirienne exceeded in holy and light magic, as well as healing. As a healer, Kirienne was a welcome member in any party of hardy adventurers. No team went anywhere challenging without their dedicated healer, and Kirienne was training to be that healer. But not for random, savage explorers, of course. No, he was destined to run on the front lines of battle with the powerful Tempest Artemis. Artemis was a powerful archer, born for battle and ready to face the hordes of monsters, if not for the fact that she ran solo, and with so little health that a few hits could knock her out cold. Artemis needed a healer, and from the moment that the to-be cleric Kirienne had met Artemis, he had made a promise. He promised to be that healer. He promised to be the one Artemis could run with, and depend on. Artemis could trust him with her life, and he wouldn't let her down.

Kirienne swept stray strands of his pale hair out of his eyes. His hair was so pale it gleamed a luminous near white, making his pale white skin appear even paler. He glanced once more at the stiff, charred mound of flesh beneath him but his gaze soon drifted away and he strode out of the shadows of the looming trees. His job was done, and he needed to hand in the commission for the reward. The gold was a welcome reward to Kirienne, who, though he carried a leather bag filled with coins, never seemed to be able to afford much more than a meager few meals every week and repairs for his mismatched equipment. But he never minded, because each piece of copper he was painstakingly forced to spend got him one step closer to joining Artemis.

Carderock Pass was a mere stroll through the Ashen Ruins away, but the short trek was never pleasant. The ruins left Kirienne with an eerie, ominous feeling. There was a reason the ruins were emptied and left to crumble, but he never knew why. In any case, he always found his footsteps sped up ever so slightly as he made his way past the cracked, ancient fountain and towards the safety of Carderock. Soon, the rugged dirt path under his feet gave way to a cobbled road of stone, and Kirienne spotted the rising walls of the familiar buildings.

The first thing that caught Kirienne's attention was a large wooden mailbox. A pink flag stuck out of the top of the box, signaling the presence of mail. Kirienne hurried over and opened up the wooden box with a hushed creak of splintered wood. A simple letter of white parchment was rolled up inside. Kirienne grabbed it excitedly and unrolled it to be greeted by familiar thin, loopy handwriting. His eyes skimmed over the words faster than his mind could process them, and he had to re-read the note several times before any meaning sank into his brain.

_Dear Kiri,_

_I hope you get this letter soon! I've been working on clearing out the monsters from Lotus Marsh, but it's getting too difficult... I could use my healer… I hope things are going well with you, and that I can see you soon!_

_Love, Artemis _

Kiri folded the letter up and tucked it into his pocket. He sighed heavily and felt the lump of paper press against him as if a small weight had just been attached to his skin. Every ticking second he spent in Carderock was one moment more that was wasted being away from Artemis. His promise was yet to be fulfilled, and Artemis was still waiting for him. But at the moment, he could only hunt down vagabond monsters for meager gold and experience.

Kiri shook himself out of his thoughts and strolled away from the mailbox. He dropped by the wooden commission board with its torn, yellowing pages that covered nearly every square inch of the surface. He posted a note stating his completion of a commission and collected his reward. A couple bags filled with random, useless rocks and minerals and a handful of silver coins. It was almost more worthwhile to sell the cheap leather bags that held the minerals than to actually sell the minerals, so Kiri stashed away the reward into his own bag, where it joined a messy conglomerate of random loot, including what looked like a pile of cracked bones and a leafy mandragora.

"Kiri!"

Kiri jumped slightly when he heard the shrill voice call out his name. It was hauntingly familiar, in a way that made Kiri want to turn in the other direction and run before the vulture could swoop down and take him. But it was too late. The vulture was already circling, and running would probably just make it hungrier. So, Kiri steeled himself and turned to face the ugly beast with whatever shred of courage he could muster.

"Kiri," The venomously sweet voice purred, "Won't you come and look at the new merchandise?"

"Hello May," Kiri tried to attempt a smile as he strode the final dreaded steps up to the young woman with dark hair and sparkling eyes narrowed in intent. Her wide red and blue dress swept around as she moved to smile widely at Kiri.

"So," She prompted him impatiently, "Are you here to buy something?"

"I came to sell some stuff actually," Kiri almost wished he did not have to sell anything, but May was the only merchant in town, so he had no choice but to deal with her.

"Oh," May folded her arms and frowned, "Sure."

Kiri sifted through his magical bag that was filled to the brim with useless junk and loot. He considered selling some plates he had stumbled across, but maybe he would need them later… Maybe the mandragora? But it could be used in cooking… Which he didn't even know how to do… Maybe he would learn later?

May sighed in exasperation as Kiri stared at his precious items. A pained look flashed across his face whenever he handed something over to her, but that look would soon be replaced by glee as the shiny coins fell into his outstretched hand.

"Thanks Kiri," May grumbled after he painfully departed with his last goblin loincloth, signaling the end of his inventory clearing.

Kiri nodded absentmindedly as May hurriedly dropped the items into a disorganized pile. May slyly wiped the palm of her hand on the outside of the skirt of her dress before she turned to face Kiri again with a wide smile plastered on her face. Kiri gulped.

"Kiri, would you mind doing me a favor?" May cooed with wide, puppy dog eyes.

"Uh, what's the favor?" Kiri sighed in resignation. It was no use trying to resist May's constant need for a person to do favors for her.

A malicious twinkle appeared in May's eyes, "I need you to go to the Marauder's Lair for me. Hobspid has a new bag of mine and still hasn't paid me back. Someone needs to go over there, collect the money, and teach him a lesson. I would go myself but…"

"I'll go for you, May," Kiri offered blatantly.

"You will?" May lifted her head in disgusting hopefulness.

"Yes…"

"Perfect! Now go, teach that stupid monster a lesson!"

May huffed and stomped her foot on the ground in a silent war cry. She remained firmly rooted to the spot as Kiri made his way to the bridge that crossed over the stream that cut through the middle of Carderock. Kiri hurried past Bailey the crest scholar, who seemed to be trying to catch his eye with a sinister smile twisted on his lips, and towards the Crystal Stream. The soft, luscious green grass beneath Kiri's feet swayed in the soft breeze as the steady drum of water pounding against the side of the rocks reached Kiri's ears. The familiar figure of Fergus, the infamous and not-so-sneaky scout for Carderock stood sentinel by the bridge that crossed over the stream. Fergus shot Kiri a glance and put a finger over his lips, to which Kiri only nodded obediently even though he was pretty sure he had not been making much sound in the first place, unless Fergus thought footsteps were too loud, in which case Kiri couldn't do much because standing still all day was not an option.

Kiri grabbed a quick commission to clear out the Marauder's Lair before he made his way into the dungeon. His hand trembled ever so slightly at the thought of the many corpses he set out to create. Maybe he would find something to eat afterwards…

A rotund bundle of matted, short brown fur streaked towards Kiri with a loud snarl. The bizarre creature barred its teeth from a comically disproportioned mouth that made up nearly its entire head. The size of its head in comparison to its only two back feet would make it seem like such a creature would be completely incapable of moving at all without falling face forward, but the animal was able to run and jump around like a maddened dog with ADHD. This creature, named the poochum for the reason that it somehow resembled some form of a mutated dog and rat combination, was abnormally violent in the wild dungeons and was certainly not afraid to face its certain death at the hands of Kiri's lightning. Kiri learned very quickly that poochums were not very smart.

After the last poochum was sent flying backwards by a smack of Kiri's wooden shield, Kiri hastily bent down and picked up the stray copper coins that were sent flying. He glanced up dully to face the hastily constructed wooden barriers that blocked his path before tearing them down with a couple well placed kicks. The kobolt archers hiding behind the barrier snarled in surprise and attempted to fire a volley of arrows. Unfortunately, they were rudely interrupted by a zap of electricity before they could do anything useful. Kiri readjusted the grip on his wand and broke down another poorly built barrier, only to face a large gathering of kobolt archers and bombers. The bombers immediately hissed and chucked their little bombs at Kiri's feet. He slid out of the way and launched another lightning attack, which dispatched the majority of the kobolts. Small orc reinforcements charged in to aid in the battle, but they met the same fate as the kobolts, leaving behind piles of random loot such as Honey or Mist Flowers, which Kiri picked up immediately. The rest of the monsters met almost the exact same fate as all the others, in varying degrees of violence and speed.

Kiri chuckled as he saw the patched up tents and little campfires the monsters used. Little green lizards skewered on sticks hung over the fire like a spit roast, and the faded brown and maroon cloth that composed the fabric of the tents fluttered in the breeze. The tents looked like they could be knocked down at any second. Kiri's foot kindly aided the tents in the process, until only cloth mounds remained and the previously inhabited tree stumps around the campfires were all vacated. It didn't take long for Kiri to wipe out the hordes of kobolt archers, bombers, orcs, and the single sickly blue skinned troll, who accidentally rolled straight into Kiri's lightning relic and met a tragic end.

Kiri reached the top of the steady incline and found the old wooden plank bridge that led to an isolated little island of dirt. There was a strange stone structure standing in the middle of this island, and a mysterious dark purple glow emanated from the top of what looked like a kind of vat filled with whatever substance it was that gave off the purple light. Kiri was forced to look down at the unstable wooden logs that made the planks of the rickety rope bridge as he traversed across the long plunge below him. When he did make it across, he noticed a small green goblin squirming around on a stone platform underneath the large vat, which was now leaking traces of a bizarre purple liquid that seemed to be the source of the purple glow. Kiri noticed that the little goblin was tied down, but the most disturbing part was that a large stone shaped like a tooth was grinding against the rest of the structure as it spun its way slowly downwards, the point aimed directly at the goblin's forehead. Kiri felt that nothing good could come from letting the goblin get stabbed in the forehead, but the stone tooth seemed to have no qualms about continuing and Kiri had no idea how to stop it. Instead, he watched uncomfortably as the stone tooth descended. When it hovered right above the goblin's skin, Kiri stopped watching and looked away, while he heard loud hissing and screeching. An unsettling dark aura pressed against Kiri's back and he shivered, still not quite willing to look back. But an even louder, angrier howl and the sound of rocks crumbling to the floor made him turn his head. What he saw made his breath catch in his chest.

A massive creature with a pointed head, a huge mouth filled with rows of pointed teeth, long arms and legs with pointed black claws, and pale, sickly blue flesh stared at him. Its ears pointed straight out to the sides and it had a head of lengthy, raven black hair. An angry red hole burrowed into the middle of the creature's forehead, presumably where the goblin had been stabbed before. The creature reared and started to charge towards Kiri on all fours. Kiri paused in shock for a moment. The creature lunged forward with its black, sharp claws, aiming for Kiri's throat, but Kiri didn't move, except for his eyes, which darted around rapidly. The claws extended and the creature's pupils dilated in the thrill of the kill, the need to feel the surge of flowing blood from its prey.

"Look out!"

An arrow engulfed in a green glow shot past Kiri's face and staggered the monstrous creature. It was forced to take a few steps backwards to keep its balance, but a volley of two arrows knocked it completely to the ground, where it hissed in frustration. Kiri blinked in surprise and shook himself out of his trance. He grabbed his wand and lifted up his shield, casting a series of buffs to increase his offense and defense, and prepared to attack with his lightning. However, the creature was only on its feet for a few moments before an arrow enchanted with a purple light hit it straight in the chest, followed by a shower of arrows from above, which forced the creature back onto the ground. Kiri didn't dare to take his attention away from the creature, but he was extremely curious to see who the mysterious archer who had saved his life was. Instead, he summoned a lightning relic, and it smashed into the earth right where the creature was standing, sending it flying backwards. The unknown archer launched another series of shots, and the creature collapsed to its knees. It landed face down in the earth and remained still. Kiri sighed in relief and put away his wand. The lightning relic pulsed a couple more times before it faded away into nonexistence.

"Thanks for the help," Kiri said to the person he assumed was with him.

"No problem!"

Kiri froze momentarily and stood up straighter. He turned around as casually as possible to face the person who owned the energetic, friendly voice that had spoken.

A female elven archer stood with her glowing purple and red longbow still grasped in one hand. Her pale blonde hair cascaded straight down her back and accented her grey eyes and pale pinkish skin. She wore a short, sky blue dress with a white collar, and matching green short gloves and boots. She smiled widely when Kiri's eyes met hers, and Kiri felt another pulse of adrenaline run through his veins.

"Are you ok?" The archer asked Kiri with concern. She put her bow over her shoulder and ran forward to inspect him.

Kiri nodded blankly and looked down at his own body as if it was a fleeting thought. The archer giggled and put a hand over her heart.

"That's good, I thought you were going to be skewered before I could help!"

Kiri chuckled sheepishly, which caused the archer to burst into another fit of giggles.

"What's your name?" Kiri asked after the archer had recovered somewhat.

"Art," She replied with a mischievous grin.

"Nice to meet you, Art, I'm Kiri," Kiri smiled faintly at her, "And thanks again for the help."

"Of course!" Art nodded enthusiastically as her hair bounced around.

Kiri turned to inspect the promising loot, and his eyes sparkled when he saw the mounds of silver coins. He bent over to pick them up, but had only grabbed a few before he noticed the rest had vanished. His thoughts quickened and he stiffened in horror at the thought of all that money disappearing, but a pale figure knelt on the ground next to him caught his attention. It was Art, and she held the rest of the coins in her pale hands. Kiri eyed her suspiciously, but pretended to look away when Art raised her head. Instead, he glanced over casually as if he had totally known she had been there the whole time. To Kiri's surprise, she extended her hands full of coins out to him with a wide smile.

"Thanks," Kiri mumbled as she tipped the coins into his outstretched hands.

Art hummed in acknowledgement and pushed herself up with her hands. Kiri bent his head to put away the coins and was surprised to see Art still standing there, watching him patiently with that same smile on her face, when he was done. He had half expected her to leave like some sort of spectral entity, there one moment and gone the next, as if she had never been there in the first place.

"Are you heading back to Carderock?" Art asked Kiri curiously.

Kiri replied somewhat hesitantly, "Yeah."

"Great," Art clapped her hands together like a child would when given a new toy for their birthday, "I'll go with you then!"

Kiri did not expect that. He stared at Art for a stunned moment of silence.

Art seemed to feel uncomfortable, because she said suddenly, "Is that ok?"

Kiri felt guilty for making Art seem unwelcome and scolded himself mentally. Art watched him nervously, shouldering her longbow as if it had suddenly gained one hundred pounds.

"Sure," Kiri chuckled softly.

He waved to the rickety old bridge he had crossed earlier and remarked, "Ladies first."

Art blinked. Then, she skipped forward with a gleeful laugh and winked to Kiri. She didn't notice his smile fall for a brief moment, or the faint red tinge that had developed on his cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kiri!"

Kiri cringed when he heard that familiar shrill voice calling to him from across the bridge. Next to him, Art froze in her tracks and looked sideways at him. She gazed across the bridge and spotted the figure with dark hair and a red and blue dress waving her hands wildly to catch Kiri's attention. Kiri sighed outwardly, making Art laugh.

"I'll wait until you're done," Art winked again and skipped away to talk to Archer Trainer Adeline.

Kiri sighed again as he watched the back of Art talking animatedly to Adeline, who nodded solemnly as she held onto a small harp. Art didn't seem to mind the quiet reply, as she continued gesturing and chatting. A faint smile played on Adeline's lips as she listened. Suddenly, a loud shriek snapped Kiri out of his thoughts.

"Kiri! Over here!"

Kiri forced himself to march over to where May was standing and waiting for him. She glared at him as he approached.

"How did it go?" May demanded when Kiri got closer.

"What was that thing?" Kiri snapped furiously without answering the question.

"What thing?" May genuinely did not seem to understand what Kiri was mad about.

"The giant monster thing," Kiri poorly specified, "It tried to rip me apart with its huge black claws!"

"That was Hobspid!" May replied indignantly.

"_That _was Hobspid? You should have told me earlier!" Kiri did not know whether he wanted to cry or not. A little more information would have been nice.

"I thought you knew!" May tried to defend herself, "And you didn't ask!"

"May," Kiri sighed deeply and tried to calm his voice, "How could I have known if I've never even been there before?"

"How was I supposed to know that?" May folded her arms in front of her and pouted.

Kiri wanted to pursue the subject, but there was only so long he could be around May without feeling like he was losing his mind.

"Never mind."

"So did you get the money?" May asked out of the charged silence.

Kiri nearly fell on his face.

Across the bridge, Deckard strategically covered his ears as the rest of the town was forced to take cover from the high decibel screech that followed Kiri's reply.

"HOW DID YOU NOT GET MY MONEY?"

When the ear shattering caterwaul was over, Deckard uncovered his ears and lightly stroked his mustache.

Kiri was left to recover after May had nearly yelled his head off. He was just leaning against the fountain that Irene usually stood by when a pale figure with long, pale blonde hair appeared by his side.

"How did it go?" Art asked merrily.

Kiri shot her a look of pure disbelief, which resulted in another fit of giggles. Kiri just wanted to shrink away and hide, especially because he caught May glaring at him from the safety of her shop.

"It's ok," Art consoled him, "She'll forget about it soon and send you on plenty more quests."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kiri muttered.

Art shrugged and sat down, leaning against the stone structure of the fountain.

"So, where next?" She asked Kiri casually.

"Huh?"

Art looked away shyly and spoke in a softer voice than usual, "You know, I thought I'd go questing with you for a bit."

"Oh," Kiri once again inwardly scolded himself for his tactlessness, "I don't know."

"Hmm," Art stared off into space for a moment as if she was contemplating something Kiri couldn't see, "Then would you like to help me with some of my quests for a bit?"

"Sure."

"Alright," Art grinned from ear to ear and shot Kiri a look with a sparkle in her eyes, "Astral Coven Lab?"

Kiri couldn't really recall ever being there before, so he shrugged in compliance and allowed Art to grab him by the hands and pull him up. May was still shooting daggers at him as they crossed the bridge back to Crystal Stream, but Kiri's mind was more focused on the spot where a short moment ago Art had held his hand. Did that mean anything to Art? Did that mean anything to him, might be the more important question. Kiri felt around for a moment and found the letter Artemis had sent him. His fingers ran over the coarse paper lightly, and his eyes skimmed over the neat handwriting, but the words were gone from his mind. Had Artemis said something important? Probably not, otherwise he'd remember. Had she ever said something important? Maybe that was also a better question.

The luscious green grass by the stream seemed a lot less magnificent when Kiri returned with Art. Fergus was, of course, still there, except at some point during Kiri's outing to the Marauder's Lair, he had obtained a wooden barrel and was attempting to climb inside it. Art watched with vague interest as Fergus hauled himself in, and then fought to suppress her laughter when he fell over and started rolling ever closer to the cliff's edge, where the water flowed beneath. Kiri pitied the poor guy, so he rushed over and stopped the rolling barrel with his foot. Soft moans echoed out of the inside of the barrel, and Fergus's head, now missing his elegant hat, poked out, his eyes unfocused and his skin somewhat green. Fergus eyed Kiri suspiciously for one moment and then smiled confidently.

"Ah, come to help me with my training, have we? I was just practicing my ability to stay in disguise no matter what!"

Kiri shot Art a warning glance when she nearly burst from laughter, mostly because her laughter would just cause him to laugh too. Fergus didn't seem to notice their silent exchange, and instead tried to escape the confines of the barrel.

"Um," Kiri began hesitantly, "No, not really, Fergus. We'll just be on our way?"

"Aha!" Fergus chuckled unsteadily and pulled himself to his feet, "Very well! But remember, Fergus is always here to help the young adventurer hone their sneaking skill!"

"Right," Art stepped up and entwined her arm around Kiri's, "We'll both remember that."

Then, in a low voice Art added, "Hurry, let's get out of here Kiri."

Kiri felt himself get steered around by Art, and they marched off together towards the Snowmelt Forest. Kiri could feel the warmth of Art's hands through the fabric of his clothes, and his mind was hypersensitive to the pressure from her soft but firm grip. Once again, he began to question the meaning behind it. Of course, there was always that part of his mind telling him he was paranoid, but somehow he didn't want to listen to that part very much. No, what was there to even be paranoid about anyways?

Art suddenly shuddered next to Kiri as they crunched through the compact snow.

"Are you cold?" Kiri asked Art in surprise.

Actually, he wasn't that surprised, because Art only had a small blue dress on that didn't even reach her knees or cover her shoulders. He did expect her to be used to it though, because didn't she choose to wear that outfit after all? It made no sense to Kiri why she would wear such an outfit if she would just be cold in it all the time. What other function could it serve?

"I-I'll be f-fine," Art dismissed his question through chattering teeth.

Kiri shook his head and made her stop.

"Here," He said, rummaging through his bag until he found what he was looking for.

Kiri handed the cloak to Art and watched as she draped it over her trembling shoulders. A bit of color gradually began to return to her pale skin, which had somehow managed to turn even paler from the cold.

"Thanks," Art said, "Is this yours?"

"It was," Kiri replied casually, "But you can have it now."

Art nodded blankly.

"We're here," Kiri pointed out.

The crumbling stone archway in front of the two marked the entrance to a decrepit old building that looked like it might cave in on itself at any moment. Kiri had a hard time believing that the Astral Coven Lab, the apparent abandoned old facilities of the sorceresses, would be in such a place. Maybe he had a misconception of sorceresses, but he was pretty sure they would not have ever lived in such a dump.

Art gulped and scooted a bit closer to Kiri. Kiri noticed Art's unsteady grip on her longbow, and decided to lead the way into the old structure. Art followed close behind, peaking into the dark entrance from over Kiri's shoulder. Kiri drew his wand and held his shield up in front of him, just in case. The trees overhead began to block out the sunlight, and the shadows loomed over the well-trodden snow. Moss and mold grew between the cracks in the stones of the building, and from within the darkness Kiri felt a draft of wind blow up, tainted by the smell of rot and what seemed disturbingly like death. Maybe also a hint of Mist Flower, but the death was more overbearing. Art shuddered again, but this time not from the cold. Together, they plunged into the darkness.

After a brief moment of silence in the sheer darkness, Art mumbled, "Kiri, I don't like this."

"It's ok," Kiri whispered back, "There's nothing here to harm us… yet."

"That's comforting," Art rolled her eyes, but in the dark Kiri couldn't see.

There was another drawn out moment of silence before anything changed. Up ahead, a flickering orange light illuminated the end of the corridor. Art and Kiri's footsteps unknowingly quickened as they were drawn to the implied safety of the light like moths. As they reached the sanctuary that was the sphere of light, Art stopped in her tracks. Kiri noticed her eyes constantly dart back to the way they had come from, as if at any moment the path would collapse behind them.

"Kiri…"

"Art," Kiri stopped her before she could continue, "Are you scared?"

Art could only nod sadly and avert her gaze as a flush of pink colored her cheeks.

"It's ok," Kiri soothed her in a low voice, forcing her to meet his gaze, "I'll stay by your side and watch over you. You won't get hurt, I promise."

"P-promise?"

"Of course," Kiri smiled and cast a blessing to increase his light magic attack.

The corridor ahead of them was dimly lit by torches that burned with a deep crackling sound. When the embers popped, Art's breath would catch in her lungs, but each time Kiri would pause, look back at her with an encouraging smile, and urge her forward. This way, they reached the main staircase that descended into a large, cavernous room filled with old, rotting bookshelves and collapsed stone columns. The room branched off to the left and right, and not wanting to make Art worry any more than she already was, Kiri decided to at least act like he knew what he was doing and chose the route that went left.

"Wait," Art paused, "Do you hear that?"

Kiri stopped in his tracks too and strained his ears to listen. Art held a finger to her lips and pointed in one direction with her other hand. After a brief moment of silence, Kiri heard it too. It was like a hissing sound, except strangled. Imagine a snake hissing, then fill its mouth with molasses and it may sound something like that.

"What is that?" Art asked nervously.

Kiri had no clue, but he knew the sound was coming from the next room around the corner and whatever was making the sound was probably alive and very unfriendly. The only think he could do was continue forward and hope for the best. It wasn't a very solid plan.

Kiri turned the corner with Art close behind, and froze for a moment. A gathering of at least ten very large, extremely ugly spiders were crawling around on sharp black legs with their fangs barred, dripping what could only be a very unpleasant poison. Their yellow and black shelled bodies trembled as they hissed loudly. As much as Kiri did not want to move any closer to those spiders, he knew they would notice Art and himself soon, and it was better to take them by surprise than allow them the first attack. So, Kiri held on tight to his wand and rushed forward into the room. He dropped a lightning relic and began to electrocute as many spiders as possible. A faint yelp behind him let Kiri know that Art had joined the battle as well, and surely enough, the spiders began to collapse to the floor with little arrows sticking out of their bodies, covered in a greenish ooze. When the room was cleared, Kiri wiped the green blood off his wand and shield and heaved a sigh.

"S-spiders," Kiri heard Art's voice mutter, though it was hardly audible, "This place is full of spiders…"

"Art?"

"Spiders… It just had to be spiders…"

"Art."

"I can't… Why _spiders_?"

"Art!"

Art snapped out of her panicked mutterings and looked up at Kiri, who held her in a stern gaze.

"Art," Kiri said firmly, "I promise, I _will_ protect you."

Art was stunned into silence. However, Kiri noticed that the grip on her longbow was significantly stronger and steadier, which he hoped was a sign that she had believed him. Art nodded after a long while and signaled with a tilt of the head for Kiri to lead the way to the next room. He willingly obliged, and kept a sharp eye out for any more spiders. He promised to keep Art safe, and he would do that no matter what. He promised.

"Kiri," Art whispered suddenly, "I hear it again."

Kiri nodded once and pressed forward. They turned another dimly lit corner and faced a room in which the ceiling extended much further upwards and the stone pillars were cracked with strain and age. However, the once impressive room was filled with thick, white strands of spider web that stretched to and fro in carefully woven designs. The webs were probably stronger than Kiri's own armor unless they broke them in a certain way. Not only was the room filled with spider webs, but also sickly yellow eggs that trembled every once and while as if they were close to hatching. Art shuddered again, but stayed close by Kiri's side with her bow drawn firmly.

Up ahead, an even larger horde of massive spiders were crawling around on their overly-pointy legs. Before they could get to the spiders though, they had to break through the thick wall of spider webs that blocked the entire path. Kiri approached warily and prodded the webs with his wand. It bent under the pressure but did not snap. Kiri felt that with a bit more force, it would be easy to break through, so he prepared to smash through the webs with a good, old fashioned shield bash. Kiri leaned back and gave himself a bit of a running start before he slammed right into the webs. As he did so, the spiders hissed and began to leap forward towards him. Unfortunately, breaking through the webs was not as easy as Kiri had anticipated. Instead of smashing right through, Kiri's shield only stuck to the webs, and he became entangled. The webs wrapped around his whole body and stuck to him like fast dry glue. His wand clattered to the floor, but his shield, with his arm still connected, was hopelessly ensnared in the sticky webs. He was completely immobilized.

"Kiri!" Art gasped and stared in horror at the developing situation.

Kiri was helpless while he was trapped by the webs, and the horde of massive, disgusting spiders was approaching swiftly. They hissed and dripped venom from their agape mouths. Art's courage began to waver as she watched the horrendous creatures. Only when she noticed one leaning back as if it was about to pounce did she realize that without her help, Kiri would probably be a spider's snack in a matter of seconds. So, she drew back her bow and launched an arrow straight at the leaping spider. It flinched in pain as a sharp arrowhead pierced its leg and turned its attention to Art instead. Art squeaked in surprise as it launched a net of spider web at her and only just managed to tumble to the side before it hit her. She launched a couple more arrows blindly towards the direction of the remaining horde and hoped to draw as much attention to her as she could.

Meanwhile, Kiri tried in vain to wiggle free of the webs. However, no matter how much he struggled, he only seemed to be able to get himself more stuck than he already was. As he thrashed around, he heard Art's squeaky outburst and his mind began to speed up. He wasn't doing a very good job keeping his promise, clearly. When something sharp whizzed past Kiri's ear, and he swore cut off a strand of his hair, he stopped struggling. He needed a different strategy.

"Kiri, look out!"

Kiri barely had time to register what Art could possibly mean when he felt some kind of substance splatter across his back. At first, he felt nothing, and only smelled the stench of something acidic and poisonous. Then, wherever the substance had made contact with his exposed skin, Kiri felt a burning sensation like he had never felt before. It felt like the dark green goo was eating away at his skin. The agony of the burning feeling made Kiri grit his teeth and squeeze his eyes closed. He could do nothing to protect himself as he felt more of the flesh eating substance make contact with his skin. The burning sensation grew stronger until Kiri felt light headed from the pain.

"Kiri!"

The distant sound of Art's voice recalled Kiri's active conscious to his present situation. The pain from the acid began to wear away and the cool air inside the old stone building soothed his searing skin. Kiri opened his eyes and saw Art running around the room in circles, kiting the horde of spiders and shooting arrows at them when she had created enough distance between them. The sharp arrows grazed past the spiders' flesh and left open wounds that bled with their bizarre green blood. As Kiri watched and felt increasingly more useless, he began to formulate an idea.

"Art!" Kiri called out, almost eating a mouthful of spider web in the process.

Art glanced over at him and at the same time dodged to the side as a spider launched itself forward and landed with a resounding thump that made the floor tremble.

"Art, shoot arrows at me!" Kiri shouted.

"What?" Art sounded incredulous, as if she had just witnessed Kiri snap and go out of his mind.

"Just do it!"

Art seemed to hesitate, and in that fatal moment another spider launched forward and smacked headfirst into her. She grunted from the force of the impact and was launched into the closest wall like a ragdoll. She hit the wall with an audible smack and crumpled to the floor.

"Art!"

Kiri didn't dare continue to try and struggle with the spider webs, but he also wanted to run over to Art's side and protect her from any more harm. He sighed to himself in relief when Art stood up shakily and glanced once more at him. However, she didn't hesitate again. She launched a rapid volley of arrows in Kiri's direction, and he braced himself for the impact. Sure enough, the sharp arrowheads sliced through his skin like butter, leaving many bleeding wounds, but they also cut through the spider webs as if they were nothing more than air. The tight webs wrapped around Kiri snapped apart and he landed with a thud on the ground, free to move at last. Spider webs stuck out of his hair and he was pretty sure portions of his exposed skin had been tinted a very faint green from the torturous acid, but he was alive and ready to fight.

"Art, over here!"

Art turned sharply to avoid a spray of acid that was spat her way from one of the spiders and made her way to Kiri at breakneck speed. As she approached, Kiri laid a lightning relic behind her.

"Kiri!" Art cried in relief and flung her arms around his neck.

Kiri braced himself and put his shielded arm around Art to comfort her. She was noticeably shaking and bruised, but otherwise unharmed physically.

"One second," Kiri said and held up his wand.

A thin bolt of lightning shot forward and bounced between the remaining spiders. They stiffened from the surge of pure energy and collapsed to the floor, dead. The room fell to silence.

"Are you ok?" Art asked Kiri with concern obvious in her voice.

"Yeah," Kiri reassured her, but when she touched the exposed skin of his arm and he winced, she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. It was even more suspicious that his clothes were stained with blood from where Art's arrows grazed him.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing," Kiri shrugged and dismissed the topic, "What about you? Are you alright?"

"A little bruised," Art admitted, "But otherwise ok."

"Good," Kiri declared firmly.

Then, he waved his wand above them and cast an aura of healing. It wasn't much, but it almost closed up all of Kiri's wounds, soothed his still burning skin, and lightened the severity of Art's bruises. Kiri felt reinvigorated after the aura.

"Well," Kiri sighed heavily then cracked a smile, "That was interesting."

Art stared at him in disbelief. Kiri chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his neck. After a long moment of staring, Art's straight face withered away and she began to laugh too, much to Kiri's surprise.

"You idiot," Art gasped through fits of laughter, "Don't do something like that again!"

"Sorry," Kiri apologized sheepishly, "At least all the spiders are gone now."

As if on cue, the quivering spider eggs that lined the sides of the room began to shake uncontrollably and split apart with a splash of green ooze. Kiri flinched involuntarily at the sight of the green substance, but not as much as Art, who had just about had enough of spiders to last her a lifetime. The spiders that emerged from the exploded eggs were small and speckled, with grey skin, but equally as disgusting in their own miniature way. Not only that, but they were several times faster than their larger relatives, with very far jumping distances. One nearly leapt onto Art's head, causing her to squeal in fear and sprint as far away as possible.

At first, Kiri thought they could easily kill off all the tiny spiders, but their numbers just continued to grow and grow until the entire floor was nearly entirely covered by them. Art had long since fled to the furthest corner of the room and was desperately trying to shoot away all the pests. Whenever Kiri tried to cast an attack, though, the little spiders would just leap forward, hit him square on, and interrupt his attack. Eventually, Kiri felt like he was being overwhelmed by the little beasts, and in a last ditch attempt to save himself from a spidery fate, he decided to advance in the opposite direction.

"Art, this way!" Kiri called over his shoulder as he ran.

The little spiders were right at their heels as Kiri and Art peeled down the hallway. Kiri could hear the vicious monsters hissing and snapping as they attempted to catch up, but somehow they managed to outrun the massive horde of spiders chasing them. Up ahead, a small arched doorway led forward, with an ominous black metal gate. Kiri grabbed Art by the wrist and turned her in that direction. Art seemed to catch on, because she shot a volley of arrows at the gate, lodging it out of position. It began to slide down with a cringe-worthy screech, and Art and Kiri just managed to slide under it before it crashed to the floor with a loud clang. Some of the little spiders were unfortunate enough to get caught underneath it as it fell to the ground, and the remaining spiders were trapped on the other side. Kiri and Art heaved for breath and leaned against the cold stone walls.

"I swear," Art voiced her thoughts between pants, "I'm willing to fight literally anything else but spiders for the rest of my life, if we just get out of here in one piece."

Kiri laughed, "What's the matter, you don't like spiders?"

Art shot Kiri a deathly glare, but he just shrugged it off and Art giggled.

"Come on," Kiri swept loose strands of his pale hair out of his eyes, "We should be near the end by now."

Before Kiri could move much farther, though, Art rushed forward and gave Kiri a quick kiss on the cheek. Kiri stood still and watched as Art turned away without looking at him.

"Thanks," Art mumbled quietly, "For everything."

Then, without another word, Art hurried off towards what Kiri hoped was the end of the dungeon. Kiri trailed after Art at a slower pace, thinking things over and replaying what had just happened in his mind. It was interesting, to say the least. He couldn't recall ever being kissed like that before. It was nice, or at least that was the only word he could think of to describe it.

Art was nice too.


	3. Chapter 3

The large, cold stone doors that lead to what Kiri an Art assumed, or at least desperately hoped, was the final room. Well, hope may not be the right word, because reaching the final room usually meant meeting some sort of overgrown, excessively violent monster of creation that wanted nothing more than to pulverize people into dirt or eat them alive. It did not help that those monsters of creation were usually good at what they wanted nothing more than to do anyways. In any case, the only way forward was through the door, seeing as how there was no chance whatsoever of turning around to face the horde of tiny, vicious spiders they had ditched at the metal gate.

Kiri reached Art's shoulder and walked past her, calmly reaching out his hand and laying it against the door. His fingers immediately chilled and he felt an odd tingling sense skitter down his spine, but he shrugged it off and leaned against the massive door with all his strength. Art remained firmly rooted to the spot, not looking behind her, at the door, or even at Kiri. Kiri thought she was acting strangely peculiar, but he didn't mention anything. Instead, he focused on pushing the door. It slid back slowly, groaning and scraping against the floor. Kiri heaved with all his might and managed to get the door to open just enough for the two of them to slide through.

"After you," Kiri bowed to Art with an exaggerated sweep of his hand.

Art gave him a funny look that looked like a strange mix of pouting, grinning, and raising her eyebrows, but she followed the path his hand had swept in without any protest or comment. Kiri wasn't sure whether to interpret that as good or bad, so once again, he let the thought slip from his mind. He followed Art into the dark, chilly room and prayed to the Goddess that the massive stone doors would stay open.

Kiri nearly crashed into Art from the back while he had been eyeing the doors with hostile suspicion.

"Hey," Kiri joked harmlessly, "It's not that cold in here."

Art shook her head and tried to motion for Kiri to look past her and into the depths of the cavernous room. She also tried to speak, but it came out as a strangled kind of squeak. Kiri chuckled and clicked with his tongue in mock shame. He blinked innocently as Art furrowed her brows and gestured more desperately into the room. Kiri sighed and looked away from the deranged Art and glanced into the boring room. He had expected something a bit more intense than the room they were in, though he wasn't sure why Art found it so fascinating.

Oh.

Kiri finally noticed something in the room that made it just slightly more exciting than before. It was a spider. A massive spider. A spider the size of multiple fluffaloes, with hideous, massive fangs that curled out of its oversized mouth and legs with pointed edges like spears, with massive hairs growing off its horrendous black, was creeping around with a shuddering body that bulged with plated, thick skin. Suddenly, a thought dawned on Kiri. This was why Art seemed incapable of proper movement or speech. It all made sense now.

"C'mon, Art-" Kiri tried to encourage Art into action, but an ear splitting shriek cut him off.

Art and Kiri whipped around to face the spider, which turned out to be the source of the horrible sound. It opened its mouth wide and shrieked again, spraying a cloud of green acidic poison out in front of it, more of the viscous liquid dripping from its wretched, yellow fangs. Then, it reared back and swung its massive weight forward in a huge leap that would seem impossible for such a large, imbalanced spider.

Kiri didn't have much time to respond, and his brain seemed to register the flying spider in near slow motion. It reminded him of the little messenger birds people used to send mail or communicate with each other, except the spider didn't have wings or feathers. It had eight hairy legs and deadly fangs and sharp, dangerous fangs instead. He wondered what the spider would look like with wings and feathers, but the moment he tried to think of those bright yellow feathers on a spider his mind seemed to realize what insane thoughts were whirring through his head at a disturbing pace. His brain prompted him into action, and the first thing he did was sprint towards a stunned Art, who seemed to be having the same issue with her own brain. Kiri grabbed her by the waist and tackled her out of harm's way before a massive shockwave shook the ground beneath them. The spider crashed to the ground with another loud shriek, upset that it had missed its opportunity to pounce on its surprised prey.

Kiri pushed himself up the very next second and finally drew his wand and shield. Admittedly, he felt a little foolish, facing a massive, man-eating mutant spider with a small wooden shield and a purple glowing wand, but he decided not to be picky. The wand had claimed enough lives to warrant its own power, and Kiri very much hoped the spider would soon be added to that list.

"Come on Art," Kiri urged the nervous sharpshooter behind him, "Let's get out of here."

The spider seemed to sense their building confidence and prepared itself for the hunt. It hissed and trembled and spit globs of sticky webs in every which direction, but Kiri and Art strategically dodged the dreaded trap and began to attack the spider with everything they had. It leapt around the room with disturbing agility and tried very desperately to at least take an arm off of one of them, as a tasty snack. Unfortunately, Kiri and Art were not as keen on the idea as the spider was, and they tragically did not oblige. They preferred to keep all of their limbs attached to their body, and definitely not inside the stomach of a massive, ugly spider.

Through a series of desperate and rather challenging events, Kiri and Art managed to dodge the majority of the spider's attacks and slowly take down its health. Of course, Kiri had needed to cast many a healing spell, but in the end they survived fairly unscathed, and a massive spider lay dead on the floor. Poison still dripped from its disgusting fangs, but at least it was dead. Art literally collapsed to the ground with a massive sigh and stayed as still as possible, not wanting to move an inch. Her muscles ached from drawing back her bow so many times and tumbling around like a maniac. Kiri felt oddly light-headed, and had to lean against the wall to steady himself. The amount of magic he used during the fight had drained him almost entirely, and he began to feel the repercussions of the magical strain on his simple, human body. Ironically, he believed the healing spells had just made it worse for him. The sight of a king's ransom worth of loot brought a little life back into his eyes, but he did not dare to move forward and collect any yet. In fact, it was Art that showed any first sign of recovery.

"That," Art declared while she flopped over onto her back, "Was hell."

Kiri chuckled despite himself and felt another wave of dizziness strike him before he could stop. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath.

"Are you ok?" Art asked Kiri nervously.

Art staggered to her feet and hurried over the where Kiri still leaned against the wall for support. Art glared at him suspiciously because he would not open his mouth to answer his question. Kiri's mind felt a bit hazy, though, so he was not even sure Art was talking to him at first. When she finally waved her hand in front of his face, Kiri blinked and shook his head slightly. A bit of color returned to his already pale face.

"I'm fine," Kiri dismissed her question, albeit a little late, "I'm just tired."

"Me too," Art grinned sheepishly and massaged her sore right arm, "Can we get out of here?"

"That is a very good idea," Kiri stated simply, making Art laugh.

Kiri paused when he realized he would have to detach himself from the wall, but he was not in the mood to laze around against a cold wall with the corpse of a massive, hideous spider, so he reluctantly pressed his palms against the wall to push himself off. Unfortunately, he used a bit too much strength, which caused him to stumble forward and lose his balance, since he was already rather weak and dizzy from the exhausting fight. Before he could fall, though, Art caught him by the arm and held him up. Kiri's insides squirmed in discomfort, like a combination between sickness and hunger. He was incapable of controlling the faint tremor that had begun to grow in his hands.

"You don't look very fine," Art commented lightly.

She didn't reprimand him for lying though, which Kiri was grateful for. Instead, she took one of Kiri's arms and placed it over her shoulders, acting as a walking support beam for Kiri to lean on as she guided him out of the dungeon. He probably could have walked on his own, but it was much easier with Art helping, and Kiri actually enjoyed it more. The cold dungeon felt a lot warmer by her side.

"Finally!"

Art cried with joy when she saw the distinct rooftops of the buildings from Carderock. The open space between them and the entrance of the town had never seemed as precious as it had in that moment, and Kiri was worried for a moment that Art would forget she was still supporting him and run to town without him. It wasn't that he couldn't make the trek by himself, Kiri was actually quite sure he could, but he didn't want Art to abandon him. After all that, she would at least remember him somewhat, right?

"Home sweet home!" Art cheered out loud and a beaming smile spread over her face.

"Shh!"

Kiri jumped when he heard the sharp hiss nearby. Art let out a little squeak and looked around in a panic. There, next to the bridge, was a suspicious wooden barrel that Kiri felt sure he had seen before. Not only that, but the barrel was shaking slightly. Art stared at it, not realizing what it was, but curious nonetheless.

"Be quiet," The barrel chided them, "I'm on a mission."

Kiri rolled his eyes at Art, daring Fergus, who was the one hiding in the barrel, to say he had actually seen that. Of course he hadn't, because his vision was completely obscured by his ridiculous barrel, but Kiri appreciated the effort. Fergus was Carderock's one and only sneaky spy, after all. He wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse yet.

"Sorry Fergus," Kiri whispered as quietly as he could when the approached and eventually passed the barrel.

Kiri still had his arm slung over Art's shoulders when they entered town again. Kiri was sure he was the recipient of many curious, assuming looks, but he was more interested in resting than in trying to maintain an image, especially because there really was no way his image could be ruined if he was with someone like Art. Unless she had some infamous record as a serial killer, but he was almost fifty percent sure she wasn't. Her skill with a bow and in killing monsters was pretty shocking, though.

"Come on Kiri," Art said sweetly, "Let's head somewhere with lots of space and fresh air. We could lay out on the grass or something?"

Kiri nodded, only vaguely aware of Art's suggestion. As long as he could stop standing and moving and using up energy, he was fine with wherever they went. He allowed Art to lead him over the bridge, where they strategically avoided approaching May, and out towards where the airship to Saint's Haven usually docked. They passed by the bright tents of the Daredevil Faire and settled down in the grass, off to the side by the trees and in the shade. Kiri collapsed onto the cool grass the moment he felt Art's strength stop holding him up. He let out a loud groan of exhaustion as a dull throbbing began to pound against his head. Then, Kiri gingerly began massaging his temples. Art glanced over at him as she settled softly into a half-kneel, half-sitting position on the grass next to him, with her legs tucked carefully underneath her and her hands folded together.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Art asked him again, clearly concerned by the groans and antagonized body language.

"Yeah," Kiri mumbled through clenched teeth as a wave of pain erupted from his head again, "I just need to rest a bit."

"Ok," Art smiled gently as Kiri laid back to stare up at the sky.

At first, Kiri kept his eyes open, watching the puffy marshmallows known as clouds roll by against a pale blue backdrop. The sunlight reflected off the clouds, giving them a glint of bright white that nearly blinded Kiri whenever he happened to have the unfortunate chance of having the light shine right into his eyes. Eventually, he moved on from watching the fluff balls of clouds and instead began to analyze the insides of his eyelids. They were quite fascinating really, with an interesting shade of red-black. They twitched slightly every time the light intensified, but surely enough, Kiri felt his body begin to drift away from the consciousness of his mind. He really could use some sleep. Art took the opportunity to intertwine her fingers with Kiri's, and she rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand. Kiri's mouth twitched slightly at the touch, but he made no move to either reject her or embrace her, so Art just continued what she had been doing. The feeling of holding Art's hand soothed Kiri, as if he held onto an anchor that kept him from drifting too far off into the pained depths of his aching mind.

"Kiri!"

Kiri's eyes shot open, a distinct edge of grouchiness to them, as he looked for the person that had shouted out his name. At first he had suspected Art, because it sounded female and distinctly elven, but Art seemed just as startled by the sudden call as Kiri had. She looked at Kiri and tilted her head slightly to one side, as if silently asking him who it was that seemed to know him and had recognized him as he tried to sleep on the grass.

Kiri lifted his head, which seemed oddly heavier than usual, and looked around almost lazily. In the distance, he spotted many vaguely familiar figures, yet there was one that he was unfamiliar with, though in some ways a part of the back of his mind seemed convinced he had in fact seen it before. In many aspects, the silhouetted figure against the bright sun reminded Kiri of Art, but that was impossible seeing as how Art was sitting right next to him, still holding onto his hand and rotating her thumb in small, consistent circles.

"Hello?" Kiri greeted half out of politeness and half out of that nagging feeling that somehow, he was familiar with this person.

"Is that you, Kiri?" The silhouette asked him breathlessly.

"Yes?"

Kiri tilted his head up to get a clear look at the figure who had finally moved into the shade where he could see well. The figure, a female elf with pale skin and snow white hair that cascaded neatly down on either side of her delicate shoulders, stared at Kiri in quiet wonder. Her orange dress was short and complimented her tall brown boots. The most unsettling part of the elf was the blue and white short bow that was slung over her back, and the quiver full to the brim with sharp arrows. The elf continued to stare at Kiri, or more pointedly the hand that was intertwined with Art's, with piercing blue eyes that were accentuated by a headpiece made with a blue jewel.

"Who are you?" Art asked.

To Kiri, it seemed to be a perfectly harmless and almost appropriate question, but he couldn't help but notice the tighter grip Art developed on his hand or the taken aback look that had grown on the newcomer's face. She did not look very happy about being questioned, and Kiri could just tell from look at the elf that she was not one to cross.

The elf glanced over Art briefly before looking back at Kiri, "I'm Artemis."

Kiri blinked. Artemis was here, right in front of him, right at that moment? He looked over the elf that claimed to be Artemis and couldn't help but view her differently. Her originally petite muscles carried an unknown strength to them, and her regal blue eyes held a new intensity, tinged red from the view of many a kill. The bow was a weapon of mass destruction, and had conquered what Kiri could only dream of one day just barely surviving through.

"Artemis!"

Kiri immediately dropped Art's hands and leapt to his feet, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his head once again. He stood facing Artemis with combination of nerves and awe, yet he felt no worry or fear. It was a distorted type of surprise, and perhaps a little guilt. He felt his pocket for the letter she had only recently sent him. It was gone.

"Hello Kiri," Artemis grinned and greeted him more formally.

"What are you doing here?" Kiri asked her out of curiosity.

"Wait, so you do know her?" Art interrupted before Artemis could reply.

Kiri nodded and glanced between the two elven sisters. Art seemed jovial enough, friendly and welcoming, and Artemis carried herself with respect, sensitivity, and power. The two seemed kind enough towards each other, as they eyed the other trying to learn as much as they could.

"Art," Kiri glanced back at Artemis, who had moved to his side, "This is Artemis. I'm training to join her in Lotus Marsh."

Art remained quiet for a moment as she processed the information. Artemis looked sideways at Kiri and then at his hand, which hung casually by his side.

"I see," Art finally spoke quietly.

"So what are you doing here Artemis?" Kiri prompted her enthusiastically.

Artemis couldn't help but shoot another look at Art, "I thought I'd come and visit you, see how you were doing, help you with some training."

"Really?" Kiri's eyes lit up with joy.

Artemis nodded formally and looked around at Carderock with misty eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've been here," Artemis sighed under her breath, "Maybe I should visit more often."

"Oh, it's just Carderock," Kiri dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Lotus Marsh is probably better."

Artemis chuckled softly and gave Kiri and affectionate stare. Art cleared her throat and readjusted her position on the grass. Kiri looked at Artemis with a sense of solemnity and respect, but there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye that Art swore she had seen earlier, when he had been talking to her.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Artemis asked the two of them, "I'm exhausted from the flight here."

"Not at all! Join us!" Kiri immediately collapsed on the grass next to Art and patted the spot on the other side of him. Artemis accepted his gesture of invitation and settled down, tucking her legs underneath her very neatly and folding her hands as well.

"By the way, Artemis," Kiri spoke up suddenly, "This is Art. Art, this is Artemis."

"Hi," Art waved her hand shyly.

"Nice to meet you," Artemis nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

"Art and I were just doing some quests and stuff together," Kiri explained to Artemis.

Artemis seemed obsessed with looking over at Art, as she did so again before she replied, "I see."

Kiri fell back on the grass and propped his head up with his hands, groaning again as a wave of pain returned. Art's hand twitched but she kept it by her side, because Artemis leaned over and put her own hand on Kiri's forehead.

"Are you ok Kiri?" Artemis asked him seriously.

"Yeah," Kiri sighed, "I'll be fine. Just worn out from a dungeon."

Artemis sighed and chided him, "You shouldn't push yourself so hard."

"Sorry, mom," Kiri teased her, to which Artemis only reacted with a sweet smile. Her fingers rested on Kiri's forehead a moment longer before they slowly ran through the loose strands of his similarly pale hair. Art shifted again in the grass as she watched.

Art was never the jealous type. In fact, she really had never had anything to be jealous about in her whole life. However, at that moment, a smoldering ball of discomfort, insecurity, and what could only be described as desire, burned away at her insides and made her usually serene smile and nonchalant giggle seem hollow and forced. Kiri seemed just as relaxed in Artemis's open embrace as he had when Art had put everything on the line just to hold his hand, and he was half incapacitated by his splitting headache to notice too much. Art would never have believed Kiri to be the type of person to be so openly friendly to her when, in reality, he surely had Artemis already. Maybe, at some point, Art had misinterpreted or gotten ahead of herself, but there was something missing in that logic, or maybe the logic had one too many stubborn strands of hope clinging on to it which prevented Art from understanding or accepting it as true.

All Art knew for sure was that she felt the horrible shattering of her heart as she watched Kiri turn away to put his arm around Artemis.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Kiri," Artemis broke the comfortable silence between them and disentangled herself from Kiri's arm, "Want to go train for a bit?"

Kiri nodded enthusiastically, all traces of a horrible headache gone.

Artemis was the first to stand, and she held her hand out to Kiri, who accepted the offering gratefully. She pulled Kiri up with ease, for her petite figure, and hummed happily to herself. Kiri thought he heard her mutter something to herself under her breath, but he didn't quite hear it and was too content to pester her with questions. He began to follow after Artemis, and they were halfway back to the fountain Irene stood by when Kiri paused and turned around. There was still a certain sharpshooter sitting by herself on the grass, adamantly looking anywhere but at the departing couple.

"Hey, Art!"

Art's head turned sharply as she traced the source of the shouting to Kiri. A brief look Kiri had never seen cross Art's face before flashed for a brief moment before her usual grin returned. She tilted her head to one side, opting not to shout as well.

"Aren't you coming?" Kiri asked her in honest confusion.

Art was not sure what to say to Kiri, with his dejected look, or the significantly more hostile yet still well disguised look that hovered over his shoulder. So, Art took an internal breath to steady herself and debate the decision her heart screamed at her to make.

"Of course!"

Art leapt up and jogged over to Kiri with a playful grin and a full quiver of clanking arrows ready to be released upon the hordes of unsuspecting monsters. Kiri slung his arm over her shoulder with a chuckle and then returned to Artemis's side. Art's mind drew a blank and she tried to ignore the presence of his arm over her shoulder, but it did not work very well. Her mind did somersaults in an attempt to figure out what was going on, and she feared it might overheat. In response, a slight red tinge showed on her face.

Then, to Art's horror, Kiri made another move. He took his other arm, and in a moment of ignorant laughing and warm heartedness, he threw it over Artemis's shoulder. Artemis seemed to jump slightly at the sudden motion, but she calmed down when she realized it was just Kiri. Then, she realized it was _Kiri_, and shot a glance at Art. At first, Art swore the powerful archer's eyes burned with anger, but after they held their gazes for a moment, both of them gradually dissolved into confusion, each of them asking the other the same question.

_Do you know what he's doing?_

Art blinked twice, and then Artemis blinked twice too. It was like Morse code, and the double blink indicated that no, neither of them knew what in the world Kiri was actually doing. It was a shame, the two elven archers thought, that Kiri was completely oblivious to their Morse code form of communication, because he might be able to clear things up. Neither of them wanted to ask him directly either. That was simply out of the question.

"Artemis," Kiri finally spoke up as they were halfway out the gate to Crystal Stream, "Where are we going?"

Artemis froze in place and her mind seemed to go through some sort of reboot. Then, she pulled her gaze away from Art, who started looking with just a little too much enthusiasm at a random building.

"Um," Artemis forced her mind to start working again, which was made even more difficult by the look of admiration on Kiri's face, "Astral Coven Lab?"

There was a tense pause.

"WHAT?"

Both Art and Kiri shouted at the same time, physically recoiling from Artemis as if she carried some sort of deadly virus that would kill them if they even came slightly in contact with her.

"What?" Artemis flinched at the aggression in their shock, wondering what it was that she had said or done wrong.

"Astral Coven Lab?"

"As in, the one with all the spiders?"

"And the cobwebs?"

"And all those spiders?"

"And the poison?"

"And the _spiders_?"

Artemis looked from Kiri to Art to Kiri again as the clamored at her in sickening synchronization. She was not quite sure why they were overreacting so much. Astral Coven Lab was really very easy, and it was an excellent place to train too. Honestly, she was just hoping to do Astral Coven Lab over and over again for quite some time to get Kiri some good training for the day. And possibly the day after. And so on and so on until he was ready to head over to Saints Haven.

"Yes?"

Clearly, that was not the answer Kiri and Art had wanted. They shrunk farther and farther away from Artemis with similar looks of horror on their face. Kiri even held his forehead as if the ghost of pain echoed within it.

"Is there a problem?" Artemis asked cautiously, fearing another violent outburst.

Art and Kiri shot each other a painfully knowing glance that made Artemis feel even further away than she already was to them, and not just in a physical sense. Finally, after a moment that seemed to take forever, Kiri and Art looked back at Artemis.

Kiri sighed and said, "No, everything's fine. Let's go."

Artemis wasn't sure how to respond when Kiri had replied so icily. She missed the warmth of his arm around her shoulder, but he did not seem willing to do so again. Instead, he and Art exchanged hushed, anxious whispers that Artemis could only catch vague snippets of as she led the way to Crystal Stream. Somehow, this was not what she had expected when she decided to come and visit Kiri.

When Artemis reached Crystal Stream, she spotted a familiar figure clambering out of a barrel with his head literally spinning. She glanced briefly back at Art and Kiri, who had stopped whispering and were now watching her as if their lives were or were about to be dependent on her, before she jogged over and put a hand on the dizzy figure's shoulder.

The figure yelped and tumbled out of the barrel. He hit the ground and sprawled out without the composure to get himself back up. He stared blankly at Artemis for a moment before an expression of recognition flashed across his face.

"Artemis! Is that you?" Fergus shouted with glee.

"Hello Fergus," Artemis greeted the not-so-sneaky spy with an amused grin.

"Artemis! It is you!"

Fergus leapt up and looked over Artemis.

"Wow, you look powerful," Fergus commented plainly, and then with a touch of teasing, "What happened to the meek, polite little archer that first walked this way from Ironwood Village?"

Artemis rolled her eyes despite the smile on her face, "I got better, of course."

"Wow," Fergus put on a mock act of being offended, "Forgive me if I forgot my lowly, humble place underneath you."

"You are forgiven," Artemis replied cheekily. Fergus chuckled.

"Wow," Fergus sighed on a completely different note, "I still remember when I watched you walk over to the Valley of Mourning with that ridiculous harp to attract those harpies. Boy, was I worried about you."

"Yes, Fergus," Artemis felt herself blushing at the memory of her younger, clueless self.

"I mean, I had scouted the area and I knew there was no immediate threat, but boy was I worried. You looked so squishy and weak."

"Fergus."

"I mean, you were just an _archer_ back then," Fergus mused.

"_Fergus_."

Artemis sounded very stern when she finally got Fergus to stop spilling everything about her past self in front of Kiri and Art, who were listening in on the conversation.

"Anyways," Artemis dismissed the brief moment of silent tension in the air, "I'm a tempest now, so don't think I'm the same as that weak little archer."

"Of course not," Fergus chuckled teasingly.

"Well," Artemis sighed, "I should get going. I'm taking Kiri out to train."

Art fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Oh, hello Kiri!" Fergus greeted Kiri warmly, "And Art too!"

"Hi Fergus," Art and Kiri greeted him simultaneously.

"See you later Fergus!" Artemis chimed and began to jog away.

As they retreated away, Artemis heard Fergus muttering, "How did that _little _archer become such a _powerful _tempest?"

Artemis glanced back at the little grassy path that led back to Ironwood Village. That was where she had first started out on her long journey. She was a simple little archer, it was true, and now she lived in a swamp as a fearsome, powerful tempest. It was not necessarily a bad thing, of course. Artemis quite enjoyed the power, the strength, the fluidity, and the grace of her movements and attacks, and she also benefited from the respect and all the connections she had made. But still, as she glanced at Kiri and Art and saw that spark of unfamiliarity and curiosity and nervousness for what may or may not be their imminent doom in some unexplored dungeon or the vast world ahead of them, she felt like she was missing out on something she used to have. Even if she was to go back to Ironwood, even if she gave up on everything she learned and started anew, it would still not be the same. There was no erasing her experience out in the world, and there was no replacing it. She did not even want to replace it, because she treasured it. But she wished she could feel the innocent awe of a newbie once again, except by Kiri's side too.

"Well," Artemis declared when she spotted the familiar entrance to the Astral Coven Lab, "Here we are!"

Artemis could have sworn she caught Kiri and Art gulp, but she dismissed the thought.

"Ok," Art spoke up hesitantly, "Do you want to lead the way?"

"Of course," Artemis grinned, "Just sit back and let me kill the spiders for you guys. Free training, courtesy of Artemis."

"Ok then," Kiri put on a smile but gave Artemis plenty of room to head in first.

Artemis held on to her bow loosely and thought about whether or not she should show off some of her more advanced skills. She knew Art and Kiri would be impressed to see them, but that was also the problem. She didn't want to show off, especially if it meant making herself look bad in front of Kiri. She could just hear Art's voice in her head, mumbling to Kiri that Artemis was such a self-absorbed show off.

When they heard the hissing, Artemis leapt excitedly into battle, ready to kill and get Kiri some much needed training, but she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Art had leapt into the air and backwards, and that Kiri was standing close by, unwilling to approach but not wanting to face the indignity of running away either. Artemis sighed at their weird behavior and began to kick the spiders with much less enthusiasm than she had started with.

"Wow."

In a matter of seconds, the entire room of spiders had been cleared and Artemis was hardly exhausted. In fact, she had not even properly warmed up yet. Kiri and Art appeared behind Artemis with looks of awe on their faces.

"Artemis," Kiri said quietly, "That was amazing."

"Yeah," Art agreed immediately, "Why would you…"

Artemis flinched, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Why would you only show up now?" Art exclaimed sadly, "Why couldn't you have been here sooner! We almost died last time!"

Art tackled Artemis in a desperate hug and clung to her like glue.

"Why can't we always have such a great spider killer like you?" Art wailed.

Kiri laughed heartily and shot Artemis a knowing look with raised eyebrows. Artemis rolled her eyes but smiled at him. Kiri winked at her and held up a thumbs up sign. Artemis felt a painfully familiar emotion bubbling up inside her, and no matter what she knew she would never be able to avoid it.

"Well," Kiri finally spoke up and Art withdrew herself from hugging Artemis, "Lead on, oh great and mighty spider killer."

"Of course," Artemis replied with a wide grin.

They bulldozed through the dungeon with hardly a scrap of anything that could even vaguely be called effort, and Art looked so happy each time a spider died at Artemis's hands that one would think Art was developing an unhealthy obsession for it. Each time she squealed with glee, Artemis and Kiri shared amused glances. Artemis was glad they did, but somehow she wished it was because of something different. Having Art be the subject of their amusement and fascination, especially for Kiri, just made Artemis more depressed in the long run.

"Wow," Kiri said in awe, "this is so much easier with you here, Artemis! I wish you had been here sooner."

Artemis smiled and shot a final arrow through the belly of a punitive little spider. It hadn't even had a chance to leap an inch before it was dead, which only made Kiri even more impressed, and Art even more relieved.

"Well, we should be at the boss by now," Artemis voiced out loud, though mostly to herself.

Kiri and Art seemed passive to the statement made by Artemis. If anyone else had said it, they would probably be panicking and dreading another battle to the death with that horrific beast of a spider, but they were not with just anyone else. They were with Artemis, spider killer extraordinaire. There was no way that anything could go wrong. That monstrous spider did not even stand a chance.

When they reached the massive stone doors, Artemis pushed them open easily, with a surprising amount of strength.

"Here we are-"

Artemis's casual declaration was cut short by the scene in front of them. All three of them feel into silence when they saw a lone sorceress standing off against the massive spider. Her hair was long and oddly purple, but it was tied back in a high ponytail and swished around gracefully with each movement the sorceress made. Her simple, brownish purple attire left much skin exposed, but in the elegant combination of dodges, teleports, and flashy moves of exploding gravity balls and poison, the sorceress (apparently a mystic, the master of space, time, and light) looked more like a blur than anything. Unfortunately, her attacks did little damage to the massive tank of a spider, and there were only so many dodges the mystic could perform before she was forced to flat out run on her own two feet just to avoid getting hit.

Artemis, with her vast arsenal of experience, was the first to react. She leapt into action and immediately drew the attention of the spider away from the mystic. Art, not wanting to be outdone by the tempest, rushed into battle after her, aiding in damage from a safe distance. That left Kiri to go and check on the exhausted mystic, who had stopped running but was clearly breathing heavily. Still, she held her staff and mystical glowing orb with such an elegant finesse that Kiri could not help but admire the beautiful shape of her hands. They were oddly fascinating to him.

"Are you ok?" Kiri stopped at the mystic's side and rested a hand on her shoulder.

The mystic did not jump, but her head snapped to the side to see the hand that was placed on her, and she followed the path of the fingertips up the arm and to the face of the owner of the aforementioned hand. Her expression was reserved, and her eyes revealed no sign of gratitude or fear.

The mystic simply said, "Thanks."

"No problem," Kiri chuckled, "It's my job to help sorceresses in danger, like you."

The mystic stared at him without making a sound. She did not smile, but she did not get angry or cringe at the teasing either. She simply stared, clearly not looking amused but not entirely unapproachable either.

Within moments, the massive spider met its due demise, and a pleased looking Artemis stood atop it like she had just climbed a mountain. A hint of bloodlust glinted in her eyes, and somehow it made Kiri feel so inspired he wanted to jump on top of the spider with Artemis and hug her. She had brought them through the Astral Coven Lab unharmed, and for that both he and Art were very grateful. They also got some good training too. And then, as Kiri glanced sneakily to his side, where the mystic was still standing, he got to meet a mysterious sorceress too. Artemis's visit had only brought positives, as far as Kiri was concerned.

"Artemis," Kiri breathed as she finally dismounted from the spider, "That was amazing!"

Kiri pulled Artemis into a quick hug. Art stood off to the side with her bow still drawn, staring blankly at the many arrows she had also fired into the spider's abdomen. Yet the space around her remained unoccupied, and Kiri's warm words did not reach her.

Artemis laughed happily and dismissed Kiri's insistent praising with a modest wave of her hand. Kiri, however, gave her another hug and proclaimed, "I knew it was the right choice to decide to join you in Lotus Marsh."

"Kiri," Artemis rolled her eyes but her wide smile gave away her secret pleasure.

"Anyways," Artemis continued in exasperation, walking past Kiri in order to face the mystic that was still standing there in silence, "Are you alright?"

The mystic did not speak, but she glanced over her relatively unscathed body and shrugged.

"Kiri, heal her," Artemis commanded Kiri.

"Sure," Kiri winked at the mystic as he cast a quick aura of healing to help her wounds recover quickly.

The mystic bathed in the comfortable glow of the healing light and watched as her wounds regenerated. It was soothing, but she still did not smile. After the aura dissipated, it was replaced by a thick blanket of silence. The mystic looked from Kiri, to Artemis, to Art, and then back to Kiri. She still did not speak.

"Well," Art jumped forward suddenly and clapped her hands together, which startled the mystic slightly, "What's your name? I'm Art, this is Kiri, and this is Artemis by the way!"

There was a long, drawn out silence between the four of the people still within the depths of the Astral Coven Lab.

"Bloodhunting."

"Oh," Art smiled at Bloodhunting and scratched the back of her head, "Should I call you blood then, or hunting?"

Bloodhunting did not reply. She simply stared at Art, with an expression halfway between shock and a failed attempt to remain emotionless.

"Oh!"

Bloodhunting jumped once again at a sudden outburst, but this time it was by Kiri.

"I know," Kiri mused, "How about I call you Odhu?"

"Odhu…" Art repeated the new name out loud as well.

"Odhu," Even Bloodhunting, henceforth named Odhu, repeated the name, but more out of disbelief than for want of hearing the name out loud.

"I like it!" Art declared, and Kiri agreed with her.

Artemis rolled her eyes and shot Odhu a sympathetic look, but Odhu merely shrugged and looked away.

"So Odhu," Kiri asked her out of curiosity, "What were you doing here in the Astral Coven Lab?"

Odhu avoided their eyes when they asked the question, and opted to look around at the empty room. With all the silence, she had plenty of time to observe the intricate detailing of the plain, crumbling stone walls.

"Just," Odhu finally replied, "Training."

"This is a good place to train," Artemis agreed with Odhu's explanation immediately.

Odhu nodded slowly and could not help but notice that Kiri was staring at her a lot more than was usual for two strangers that had just met. It made her feel very uncomfortable. But at the same time, she was oddly fascinated by the suave cleric. Why he was paying her so much attention was only somewhat mystery to her, and honestly a bad idea on his part, but she liked it nonetheless. She had never truly felt so unsettled by someone's gaze before.

"Hey," Kiri said to break Odhu's train of whirring thoughts, "I have an idea."

"Oh, what's that?" Artemis asked Kiri curiously and shifted closer to his side.

"Why don't you come with us back to Carderock, Odhu? We could hang out for a while?" Kiri offered his idea modestly, but winked at Odhu when she caught his eye.

Odhu paused and considered the idea. She knew she should not accept, and she was very tempted not to, but in the end, she went against her better judgment and agreed to go with Kiri, Art, and Artemis. In another moment of glorious triumph, Kiri laid an arm on the shoulders of both Artemis and Art, and Odhu followed to the other side of Art, perfectly content to not have to participate in any form of physical contact.

Artemis and Art shot each other glances again. Kiri laughed as they left the dungeon. All three of the girls sighed inwardly.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was tinged a faint pink when the four returned to Carderock. The journey back had been fairly uneventful, and even Fergus and his infamous barrel were nowhere to be found. When they arrived back at Carderock, the four of them (though Artemis was somewhat disappointed) opted to take call it a day and relax. Kiri was exhausted from all the fighting, and no one but Artemis was keen on returning to any dungeons in the dark to kill hordes of monsters. Artemis sighed but decided that either way she would be able to spend more time with Kiri, so she agreed with their decision without much of a protest.

"So," Art said as they reached the center of town, "What do you guys want to do?"

"I'm starving," Kiri proclaimed before anyone else could say anything, "Can we please get something to eat?"

"Sure," Artemis agreed.

"Yes!" Art danced with glee at the mention of a meal with three others, even if that group included Artemis.

Odhu, as had come to be expected by the group, did not speak, but they interpreted her usual, companionable silence as agreement as well, and they began to clamor about where they wanted to eat and what kind of food to get. Of course, Artemis, from prior knowledge, immediately ruled out May, to which Kiri was only too happy to agree with. Who knew what kind of bizarre new dish she would want to cook. If it was anything like Rubber Spaghetti, it was best to steer clear of May for a very long time.

"I heard there was a sorceress visiting from Lotus Marsh," Artemis spoke up suddenly, "She's supposed to be a very good cook."

"That sounds good to me," Kiri's mind filled with all sorts of images of exotic marsh food, which only a very hungry or very crazy person would deem delicious based on normal standards. Somehow, though, the alleged excellent chef and sorceress almost always managed to make it taste good; almost always, anyways.

"Let's go!" Art grabbed Kiri by the hand and practically dragged him all the way across Carderock Pass, right behind Artemis, who marched ahead and looked out for the right building to enter.

"This should be it," Artemis pointed at one of the buildings. It seemed harmless enough, and the four could hear several people chatting away merrily inside, surely to the accompaniment of delicious food, which made Kiri's stomach growl in anticipation.

Kiri grabbed hold of the door and pulled it open, stepping back and bowing respectively in the process.

"Ladies, after you," He said in a deep, suave voice.

Art giggled, Artemis rolled her eyes but smiled, and Odhu just stared at Kiri with that familiar expressionless look, that originally Kiri had interpreted as disapproval but had come to recognize as the typical Odhu look. It was very mysterious. Kiri had to wonder about the mystic, and his curiosity was reaching a boiling point.

When they stepped inside, a very tall sorceress in chamomile robes greeted them and led them to a seat somewhere within the depths of the building. She offered to serve them some of her freshly baked swamp stew, which did not sound appealing, but surely it could not be that bad, seeing as how everyone else in the building was eating what they assumed was swamp stew as well.

As they sat around the table and talked, Kiri leaned over to Odhu, who he happened to be sitting next to, and whispered, "Odhu, I need to talk to you."

Odhu tilted her head to one side and considered Kiri. He looked at her with a pair of pitiful, puppy dog eyes and motioned to the door that led out the back. Odhu eventually nodded in consent and the two of them managed to slip away while Art and Artemis were engaged in a very heated debate about short bows and longbows. Kiri held the door open for Odhu as she stepped out, and closed it quietly after him.

"Odhu," Kiri said quietly, approaching the mystic that was standing by herself, looking away from Kiri, "What were you doing all by yourself in the Lab?"

Odhu refrained from revealing any sort of expression as she replied, "Training."

"Are you sure?" Kiri blinked hesitantly.

Odhu just stared at him. Kiri shifted uncomfortably, but he still felt that irresistible urge to press on. There was something here, and he was determined to find it.

"You don't have to lie to me," Kiri sighed wistfully, "I just want to know."

"Why?"

Kiri, who had not expected Odhu to speak up, fumbled with the words in his head for a moment before continuing, "Because I want to make sure you're safe."

Then it was Odhu's turn to be surprised. Kiri looked so innocent and sincere, gazing at her with a familiar pair of puppy dog eyes that even made Odhu's heart melt ever so slightly.

"I wasn't training," Odhu confessed with the begrudging tone in her voice.

Kiri's eyes lit up and he smiled, "What were you doing then?"

"I- I can't tell you," Odhu sighed almost regretfully, but also slightly in relief.

Kiri's smile fell for a just a moment, but Odhu's shoulders sagged and she refused to meet Kiri's gaze, which evoked a feeling of pity within Kiri. There had to be a logical reason why Odhu did not want to tell him, and he should respect that. Still, he felt guilty for pressuring her in the first place.

"I'm sorry," Kiri sighed quietly, making his way closer to Odhu and reaching out a hand, "I shouldn't have asked."

Kiri reached out and grabbed Odhu's hand, intertwining their fingers. Odhu looked up at Kiri with a peculiar look in her entrancing eyes. Kiri found he just could not look away from the mysterious sorceress. She was fascinating, and Kiri wanted to know more about her. But, how she felt was important too. He would take it slowly, and be patient. The reward would be worth the wait.

Kiri had entirely suspected that Odhu would pull her hand out of his own and back away in disgust, but after his apology and intimate gesture, Odhu looked down at the ground and squeezed his hand with just a little more force for a couple seconds. She did not pull away either, or look very upset for that matter too. To Kiri, it was a sign of success.

"Come on," His voice lightened, though he was sad to have to say it, "We should head back inside."

Odhu followed Kiri back inside, and when they pushed open the door they stopped holding hands. Within moments, Art had rushed to Kiri's side and led him back to the table, where Artemis was sitting and tentatively sampling a spoonful of what appeared to be the swamp stew.

"I was worried about you, Kiri!" Art said to him jovially, shoveling a spoonful of stew into her mouth without much caution.

"Sorry," Kiri apologized for the second time, picking up his own spoon and glancing furtively at Odhu.

"Come on," Artemis chided all of them, "You should eat after so much fighting."

"As you wish, mom," Kiri joked and winked at Artemis.

Odhu sat there quietly, gazing at the stew. She did not feel much like eating. There was a horrible mix of emotions brewing in her stomach, and she was worried the stew would just tip her over the edge. She had never felt so much joy, sorrow, or fear at the same time before in her entire life. Somehow, Odhu thought to herself, she would try to make this work. She was not hopeful though.

* * *

><p>"So," Kiri put on his deep, smooth voice, "What's the plan, Artemis?"<p>

Artemis scoffed at Kiri's voice and looked off into the distance, "I thought we could go out to Autumn Shore for a bit. Maybe take a walk?"

"Anything with you sounds good to me," Kiri shrugged but still wiggled his eyebrows when Artemis looked his way.

After eating last night, the four had all felt extraordinarily tired, and they all decided to go to sleep. When Kiri woke up early from a bad dream, he found that Art and Odhu were still fast asleep in their own rooms. Artemis, however, was already out and about, wandering around Carderock Pass. Kiri got up and decided to go join her, because he knew she would be able to calm his rattled mind. Now, they were planning to head out to Autumn Shore. Kiri honestly did not mind where they were going. He just needed to escape for a moment.

Walking through the sad, crumbling buildings of the Ashen Ruins felt much different with Artemis around. There was no longer an ominous, imposing sense of foreboding looming over Kiri, and he felt much more at ease. Artemis had that calming effect about her, as if she could take care of everything with a simple kick of her foot or the kindly smile that graced her lips. Artemis was a great person to be around, Kiri thought to himself, and he hoped Artemis realized that about herself as well. Of course, though, she did not.

Kiri noticed the far off expression on Artemis's face and decided that, if there was ever a time to distract her from her worries, it was now. He stopped in his tracks, and Artemis continued on blankly for a few more strides before she noticed she had lost Kiri. She turned and looked at him quizzically, but he just motioned for her to come back. So, Artemis obliged. From where Kiri and Artemis were standing, they could just see the beginning of the shoreline, where the deep blue grey water stood placid, with leaves turned eternally golden and sanguine floating atop the surface as if they had always been a part of the water. It was so serene and so quiet, the perfect combination between peace and melancholy.

"Is everything ok, Kiri?" Artemis asked him tentatively, because then it was her turn to notice the troubled expression on the young priest's face.

"Hm," Kiri let out a deep breath that rustled the stray strands of Artemis's hair, "No."

"What is it?" Artemis did not want Kiri to ever have to feel anything other than joy, so that he could always be the cheerful cleric she had first met. Up close, Artemis noticed, his pale, near white hair was slightly overgrown and a rim of darkness ringed his eyes. It looked distinctly heavy, though Kiri's heart had always been light.

"I had a dream last night," Kiri confessed in hardly more than a murmur, "That I was watching as you and Art and Odhu were all fighting each other, and you meant to kill. Jacob was there too, and he told me that fighting was the only solution, and the only way forward, and that I would thank one of you for killing the others later."

Artemis listened quietly as Kiri told her his dream in more detail. She had only heard about Jacob once before, and that had been an accidental time, mentioned in passing but not meant to be questioned. Artemis was not quite sure who Jacob was, but clearly he had been significant in Kiri's life. She reasoned with herself that she should ask Kiri about who Jacob was, but then she told herself that if Kiri had really wanted her to know, he would tell her when he wanted to. So, she held her tongue.

Kiri finished his story just as his voice began to lose its strength, "Everything has always seemed to end in death for me."

Artemis winced at his bitter comment at the end. It was a different side of Kiri that Artemis was unfamiliar with, but nonetheless it existed and it hurt him, and anything that hurt Kiri, Artemis had to deal with personally until it could do so no more.

"Kiri," Artemis said his name pointedly to make him look at her.

Then, as the cleric gazed sadly at her, Artemis leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. She held the kiss for a moment, absorbed in the sensual feel of Kiri's soft lips, but she pulled away before Kiri's numb mind had finished processing the gesture fully. As Artemis leaned back, Kiri began to lean forward, but he stopped himself in time before he toppled forward.

"Kiri," Artemis repeated his name for emphasis, "I would never do anything to upset you like that."

Kiri was about to open his mouth and respond, but there was a loud rustling nearby that made both Kiri and Artemis freeze. Artemis looked around suspiciously, and Kiri stopped leaning forward towards Artemis.

"What was _that_?"

The usually bubbly, jovial voice was laced with fury, and Kiri was completely stunned to see Art storming towards the two of them with a livid, enraged look in her eye. Any hope Artemis had in her heart plummeted back to earth and shattered into millions of pieces, and instead she felt something else burn in her heart. It was anger. Art had followed them, and now she was intruding upon their time together like some spoiled brat. But, keeping in mind Kiri's dream and what must have been going through his head, Artemis remained calm as Art approached.

"Art?" Kiri looked slightly flustered and took a step back from both of the archers, shooting a worried look at Artemis.

Art ignored Kiri for the time being, and swung around to face Artemis.

"What do you think you're doing?" Art snapped at Artemis furiously, completely oblivious to the fact that, if Artemis had wanted to, she could pulverize Art in a second.

"I was-"

Art cut off Artemis's explanation, however, and proceeded with her own accusations, "I saw you kiss him! Who do you think you are to do that? You can't just waltz in here and expect him to be yours!"

Kiri stood off to the side, trying his best not to be noticed and glancing between Art and Artemis anxiously. He seemed upset, but not all too enthusiastic to jump in and stop the argument.

"I'm sorry," Artemis replied swiftly, raising her voice before Art could cut her off again, "I guess I'll take my leave then. Kiri, I'll see you later."

Before Kiri could mutter more than a single word, which happened to be Artemis's name, Artemis had taken off at a sprint into the Dread Forest. She was gone before Kiri even realized he could use his legs to chase after her, and by then it was too late. He turned to a very disgruntled Art, not sure what to say to pacify her.

"Art," Kiri began meekly, "I-"

"What was she _doing_?" Art seemed to forget Kiri was speaking as she ranted to herself.

"She can't just do stuff like that! Kiri, I don't understand," Finally Art turned her attention to Kiri's involvement in the occurrence, "Do you like her, or me?"

Kiri paused and drew a complete blank at the question he was posed. It was truly difficult to even consider for him. Artemis was Artemis, and Art was Art. Could he not like both of them? And how was he to decide who he liked more, as Art seemed to be suggesting he make a decision. He just could not.

"Art," Kiri managed to steady his voice as he spoke, "Of course I like you. Artemis is great, but I wasn't expecting it too. You know you're the only sharpshooter for me."

Art's face flushed as Kiri said those words to her. In a fit of self-consciousness, Art looked away and seemed to calm down quite a bit.

"Kiri," Art paused to find the right words, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok," Kiri interrupted her before she could continue, "Let's just- Forget about it, ok?"

"Ok," Art agreed shyly.

Kiri stared out to the shoreline with the sanguine leaves floating alone on the placid water. Even a slight breath of wind sent them spinning out of control, and ripples spread through the water, triggering others as the wave moved from leaf to leaf. It was oddly hypnotizing, the organized chaos of it all. It all looked so easy when the wind and the leaves and the water did it, but somehow organized chaos had never worked out well for Kiri. Maybe that was just him, though.

"Art," Kiri sighed and dragged his gaze away from the ripples of the water, "I think I'm going to head back to Carderock Pass."

"I'll come with you, then!" Art offered warmly.

"No," Kiri replied a little too quickly, "Thanks."

"Oh."

"I'll see you later."

With that, Kiri turned around and walked off by himself. He dreaded returning through the Ashen Ruins without anyone by his side to comfort him, but at the moment anyone he did want by his side also felt like a double edged sword, slaying his enemies but harming him in the process as well. He'd rather just not have the sword, and so he journeyed back alone and unarmed. Perhaps it was for the best.

Art, on the other hand, watched Kiri go with an aching in her heart and a guilt ridden conscious. She knew it had been wrong to follow Kiri and Artemis as the left Carderock, but when Kiri had woken up he had woke her up as well, and she was too curious and worried to not follow. She also knew it was childish and foolish to interrupt them, but there was a voice screaming to her that she had to stop it before she lost Kiri forever to that powerful tempest with the white hair and piercing blue eyes. In the end, she had acted on her own interests and paid the price for it, but somehow, deep inside, she felt sickeningly content. She had stopped Artemis, and Kiri had told her she was the only sharpshooter for him. There was still a chance for her to win, and she would chase that opportunity until it was forcibly ripped away from her.

"I guess I should head back too," Art muttered to herself, as she sometimes found it easier on her mind to say what she was thinking out loud, for sanity's sake, "I should check on Kiri."

And true to her own words, Art began to head back to the Ashen Ruins, which was a simple journey through to get back to town. Soon enough, Art had walked as quickly as possible past May and was keeping an eye out for Kiri. However, he was nowhere to be found. Art checked his room, she checked by the airship, she checked by Crystal Stream, she checked just about anywhere she could think of, yet Kiri was still nowhere in sight. Art sighed in frustration. Where had he gone, and why had he gone without her? Art decided, with some empty sense of resignation, that she would try and find Odhu and get to know the mysterious sorceress better.

Unfortunately, Art could not find Odhu either. And that was when Art started to get really worried.


	6. Chapter 6

Artemis, meanwhile, was venting her pent up frustration on some poor ghouls by the Dread Forest. She was still shocked by Art's sudden appearance and violent confrontation. Of course, she really should not have expected anything less, because when she first arrived in Carderock to visit Kiri, she had found Art holding Kiri's hand, which should have been a dead giveaway that Art meant Kiri to be hers. Yet Artemis had felt that, from the moment Kiri had decided to join her, he had meant it as more than just as simple a thing as being a team for the sake of being an efficient killing machine. Did Kiri's choice really mean nothing to him? Did she mean nothing to him, in the end? Maybe she was just a tool to be used as a means to grow stronger, and then discarded when it was no longer required. Maybe Artemis was being deluded.

Still, the back of Artemis's mind argued hopefully, he had not rejected the kiss. It was true, Artemis's mind conceded the argument, but still, it had only lasted a short while, and he had not exactly welcomed it enthusiastically either. For all Artemis had suffered and waited through, she reasoned, she felt she could wait for Kiri to make his own choice. Artemis would stay by his side, no matter what, but hopefully he would be able to fully appreciate the gravity of her own self-sacrifice at some point in the future. If not, it would be a waste for Artemis. Still, she decided to support him anyways.

Artemis had just finished slaughtering the hordes of ghouls when she decided she had satisfied her need to kill. Perhaps she would go find Kiri, and see how he was doing. Surely she had been gone long enough to give him enough room to think and sort things out in his mind. Artemis slung her bow over her back and jogged up the slight incline of a hill when she spotted something out of place glinting against the green grass from the glare of the sun. It was bright red, and Artemis bent down to pick it up. To her, it looked like some sort of oversized badge one might stick to their clothes as identification, but the strange red color and peculiar ornate decorations seemed out of place for identification. Artemis held the mysterious object in her hand, contemplating whether or not to take it with her, but in the end she decided that it might hold some significance in the future, and it was better to take it than to leave it and regret it later, if it ever became necessary. She tucked it away into a small bag and continued on her way back to Carderock. Maybe she would show Deckard later. First things first though, she had to find Kiri.

Artemis arrived back at Carderock and began her search at Kiri's room. It was uninhabited, so she checked Art's out of suspicion. It was also empty, and Artemis was not sure whether to be relieved or worried about it. So, she went back outside and began to search the entirety of Carderock Pass. She even checked by the Daredevil Fare tents, but there was no one around. Artemis thought that, after what had happened in the morning, Kiri would be in no mood to go out and train, but she didn't think he would vanish either. That was why Artemis began to develop a very uneasy, unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Where was Kiri?

* * *

><p>When Kiri had gotten back to Carderock, he had intended to go straight to his room and lay down on his blankets and just think. He needed to think, and he needed some private space to do so. The problem was that Kiri did not <em>want <em>to think. Thinking, in Kiri's opinion, was a useless pastime when he could simply act first and skip the middle phase between scenario and action. So, when he had bumped into Odhu at the bottom of the stairs, he decided, in a fit of sudden curiosity and wonder, he would go with Odhu. Odhu would not tell him where they were going, but Kiri did not mind. The mystery of it all distracted him from his other thoughts, so he concentrated on reading any kind of giveaway in Odhu's body language that would give him a clue as to what she was thinking or where they were going. It was a very good way to pass the time and distract himself.

"Odhu," Kiri finally gave up on guessing and instead infused his voice with as much innocent charm as possible, "Can you please tell me where we're going?"

Odhu glanced back at him and considered the option.

"No."

'No?" Kiri was baffled. Usually his puppy dog routine worked wonders on people. In this case, Odhu had simply ignored it.

"No," Odhu confirmed her original answer.

"Why not?" Kiri pouted slightly as he caught up to walk side by side with Odhu.

"Because," Odhu replied simply and shrugged her shoulders.

Kiri was mystified by Odhu's secretive behavior, and slightly put out by the cold shoulder she seemed to be giving him. Nonetheless, he still wanted to be around her, and there had to be some reason for her cold behavior. Maybe it wasn't so cold after all.

Odhu came to a sudden stop outside of a very creepy looking entrance to an old crypt. The weatherworn gray stones that made up the entrance marked off the beginning of a trek down into the earth, which was guarded by a black iron gate and two very strange looking statues that were shaped like hissing cobras. The cobra's spat out a cloud of dark green, almost black smoky acid. When Odhu stepped closer, however, the cobras stopped spitting out clouds of acid and sunk back into the ground, where they disappeared from view. Then, the black gate seemed to open on its own, and Odhu proceeded down into the depths of the crypt-like area.

"Odhu," Kiri spoke up, "Are we going down there?"

Odhu humored Kiri's question with an obvious answer by nodding her head. Kiri paused, remembering the last time he had descended into the depths of an unknown dungeon with only one other person. It had been quite the terrifying adventure. At the same time, though, it had been very enjoyable, and Kiri had gotten to know his companion quite well. Kiri glanced at Odhu. Not wanting to back out, and wanting to see if terrifying dungeons had the same effect on Odhu as it had with Art, Kiri closed his slightly agape mouth and hurried after Odhu, into the depths of the dungeon.

"Can you at least tell me the name of this dungeon?" Kiri asked Odhu hopefully.

"Inner Catacombs," Odhu replied immediately, leading the way further into the darkness. Kiri followed the faint glow of Odhu's staff and magic orb as if it was the only beacon of light in a world of complete darkness, and losing that beacon meant certain doom.

"Right," Kiri said, and then under his breath so Odhu couldn't hear, "That doesn't sound very comforting."

Odhu seemed to have heard though, because she retorted, "It isn't supposed to be."

Kiri was startled to hear Odhu reply, but that only added to the awe he felt for the mystic. There was a lot Kiri wanted to know about her, and he hoped that somehow he would be the one Odhu would open up to. He would have to be patient, though. Patient and charming. Kiri thought he could manage to do that, though.

After a short descent through utter darkness, Kiri saw light ahead. The narrow path opened into a large corridor that was poorly illuminated with large torches that burned on either side of Kiri with a red orange ember that mixed ominously with the bizarre fog that seemed to fill the corridors of the Inner Catacombs. Heavy black chains draped down from the ceiling and wrapped around massive chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, lit with many small candles that also burned with a faint red orange flame. One thing that Kiri noticed in the Catacombs, as well as with pretty much any dungeon he had been to recently, was the excessive use of stone. He was literally surrounded on all sides by stone, and when he thought about it, that stone was the only thing that separated him from the tons upon tons of dirt that sat on top of the catacombs. He began to develop a sudden need to get out of the catacombs as soon as he could, because being buried in dirt was something Kiri would rather leave for dead people to enjoy.

As Kiri was looking around, Odhu kept focused on what was directly in front of them, which included a small pack of pale skinned ghouls. Their stubby, contorted arms that looked vaguely like tyrannosaurus arms flopped wildly around as they charged forward, but Odhu was faster. She knocked them down and began to pummel them viciously with the powers of space, gravity and light. Kiri did little more than draw out his wand before the ghouls had been killed. Kiri looked over with an impressed look on his face, but that look quickly changed to complete and utter shock as he saw a smile begin to creep up Odhu's lips. She was _smiling_. It was the first emotion Kiri had seen from Odhu other than apathy and the occasional hint of surprise which tended to vanish almost as quickly as it had come. And, Kiri had to admit to himself, Odhu's smile was rather attractive. It was insane sadism combined with joy that left Kiri's heart fluttering and forced him to remind himself to take deep breaths every once and a while.

"Let's hurry up," Odhu spoke up suddenly, "Shall we?"

"We shall," Kiri nodded with a mischievous grin, only to be met by familiar, unimpressed raised eyebrows.

Odhu continued to lead the way through the dungeon, where they experienced a plethora of various ghouls, annoying little black bats, and even a couple Shaman Brethren once and a while. It was relatively simple, but the sheer number of monsters and the fact that the ghouls could not help but throw themselves at Kiri with bloodthirsty howls before landing on top of him and attempting to have a quick snack made it slightly more difficult that it probably would be otherwise. Odhu was a demon though, running around the dungeon and unleashing various area of effect attacks that the poor monsters always fell victim too. Not to mention the bonus lightning bolts or zaps of electricity from Kiri, as well.

"Odhu," Kiri would sigh repeatedly, "You're amazing."

After a long corridor lined with the same cobra statues spewing poison from outside, Kiri spotted what could only be the entrance to the final room. He was excited to see what kind of boss was waiting for them, and how easy it would be to take it down with their combined strength, but Odhu seemed to slow down. She stopped and turned to face Kiri.

"Thank you," She said quietly as if she did not really want Kiri to hear what she had to say.

"You're welcome," Kiri replied in confusion, because he was not really sure what Odhu was thanking him for in the first place. He would not pass up the opportunity to get to know Odhu better, though.

"We can still turn back," Odhu muttered under her breath. Kiri was not sure if he was meant to hear that or not, but he had, so he decided to respond.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Odhu replied stiffly.

Kiri laughed lightly and waved his hand, "Odhu, we'll be fine! Don't worry about yourself, I won't let you get hurt."

"I'm not worried about myself," Odhu replied tersely.

"Then don't worry about me," Kiri replied quickly, "I'll be fine too!"

Odhu sighed and Kiri saw her lips move ever so slightly. That time, however, he could not hear what she said. He decided not to pressure her though, so he stayed quiet until Odhu finally gave up and began to walk forward again. Kiri followed behind her happily, ready to take down the boss that was waiting for them. They passed through a dark, narrow corridor until it opened up to a circular room surrounded by a black iron fence. On the far side of the circle there was a strange altar with a few steps leading up to the main platform and decorated on the side with bright red pillars. Other than that, the only other noticeable thing in the room was a massive Minotaur with a very large axe in its hand. Kiri had seen many Minotaur before, although most of them were much smaller than this one, and the axes were not as big either. The roars were also not as loud, and the pounding hoofs against the stone floor were not as powerful. This Minotaur was like a terrible, larger, more powerful version of all those little Minotaur.

Odhu wasted no time in beginning the assault. Kiri followed her lead, though he was not able to run around the room in circles as well. He mostly laid down relics and electrocuted the monster as best he could. Odhu, though, summon gravity balls and laser beams to beat up the Minotaur. Every once and a while they would get smacked away or knocked off their feet by a painful shoulder charge, the swinging of the axe or a loud, reverberating roar. For the most part, though, the fight was easy. At least, much easier than the spider in the Astral Coven Lab had been.

That was not to say Kiri received a fair beating. He had been knocked into the iron fence several times over, and the massive shoulders of the minotaur had hit him directly in the stomach one too many times, leaving him breathless and dizzy and with a developing bruise that began to turn blue and black almost immediately. Odhu, though, was a master of running and dodging and she remained relatively unscathed, perhaps with only a scratch or two to show she had ever been in any sort of fight.

Kiri was exhausted by the time they had been able to take down the minotaur, so when it let out one final roar of agony and fell to the ground, he followed after and hit the floor with a thump and a relieved sigh.

"Odhu," Kiri mumbled through the sleeve of his body armor, "That was amazing."

Odhu replied with a simple hum as she strolled over to stand above Kiri. Kiri rolled onto his back and gently massaged his stomach around the area where the large bruise was forming. Odhu kneeled down and poked the bruise with one finger.

"Ow," Kiri winced but spoke in as calm a voice as he could manage through the pain.

Odhu laughed somewhat sadistically, which made Kiri feel slightly unsettled. A dark look fell over Odhu's face and she turned away from Kiri to glance around the room. Her eyes darted around swiftly, but Kiri was not sure what she was looking for.

"Is something wrong?" Kiri asked Odhu cautiously.

Odhu returned her gaze to Kiri, and Kiri was shocked to see she looked somewhat sad, very much unlike her usual look of apathy.

"You have to die now," Odhu whispered under her breath.

Her staff and magical orb were still gripped tightly in her hands. Kiri blinked in confusion and stared at Odhu. He was not sure why Odhu had said that, but he did not believe she really meant it. Odhu looked so conflicted, though.

"What?" Kiri managed to utter a single word.

"You have to die."


	7. Chapter 7

Kiri had not expected Odhu to threaten his life like that, even if it was a joke. He was even more surprised, and slightly disturbed, when Odhu slammed her heel into Kiri's stomach, right where the large, black and blue bruise was. Kiri gasped in pain and his thoughts blanked for a moment as the sense of pain took over and a natural survival instinct began to dominate his thoughts. He managed to push those thoughts to the side for a moment though, because he still did not feel Odhu seriously meant to hurt or kill him. There had to be another explanation. Maybe it was a joke? A little twisted, but still a joke. He could forgive Odhu for a joke.

"Odhu," Kiri just barely managed to gasp out as Odhu dug her heel deeper into his stomach, "Stop."

The weight on Kiri's stomach lifted for a moment, and Kiri looked up in a daze to Odhu. She looked torn and wild, with a wicked glint in her eyes that was not at all familiar.

"I have to kill you," Odhu stated plainly. Kiri still could not believe her.

Then, Odhu grabbed Kiri by the front of his clothes and pulled him up to a standing position. His head spun as the blood rushed from his head and his vision temporarily blacked out. Before he had completely recovered, Kiri felt his feet lose contact with the ground and instead he felt the wind split around him as he sailed through the air. He landed with a thud against the stairs of the strange altar, and he was not sure at that point but he might have hit his head. The blood stains on the stairs had to have come from somewhere. And it would also explain the severe headache and incapacity to stand. Something might have happened to his ribs too, because they ached like crazy and felt like someone had split them in half. Odhu approached him slowly and he could only blink in confusion and sorrow as she bent down next to him and put a hand on his chest, against his furiously beating heart.

"Fight back," Odhu hissed angrily in his ear, "Please."

Kiri could understand why a sadistic killer would want their victim to fight back, but the word "please" was what threw him off. Why would she need to beg him to fight? Did she want him to live? Or was it just another thing he did not understand about Odhu? Because it was hard enough to read her in the first place, not to mention that he totally missed the fact that Odhu had wanted all along to kill him. Kiri wondered how he had been so stupid. Was he always this clueless? He did not think he was, but here he was, about to be killed by someone he thought he could trust. His heart began to stop beating as desperately. It seemed to be giving up.

Odhu stood up again and pointed her staff directly at Kiri. He still lay there, splayed against the steps of the altar. His mind began to wonder why part of it was decorated bright red. Red was an interesting color. It was a much different red than the red that pooled by his unmoving body, too. The red of blood was darker, and much thicker. Odhu's staff began to gather a glowing, bright purple light, and the staff began to tremble in her hands with the built up power and energy. Odhu looked Kiri in the eyes, a combination of challenge and resignation on her face. He wished he could have at least figured out what Odhu had been doing at the Astral Coven Lab.

"I told you," Odhu said darkly, "We should have turned back while we still could have."

Kiri had lost too much consciousness to respond. Instead, he focused on the bright purple light that would be his end and hoped it was as cheerful as the color implied. Probably not, though.

"Stop!"

An arrow shot out from nowhere with a loud whistle and hit Odhu in the hand that held on to the staff. Odhu yelped and withdrew her hand, still clutching the staff. The purple light dissipated and Kiri was left to wonder how an arrow had saved him once again. Archers must be his guardian angels, Kiri concluded. He would have to thank all of them at some point.

Though Kiri was in no condition to pay much attention, he managed to keep his eyes and ears open long enough to spot two archers running his way. They both looked exceptionally familiar, and also very similar, except one held onto a longbow and the other held onto a short bow. The one with the short bow shouted something and ran straight for Odhu, who casted some sort of spell to summon a large mirror, while the one with the longbow shot a quick volley of arrows before running over to Kiri's side. He turned to look at the female elf whose face was filled with sorrow and worry. Her cheeks were stained with a dried trail of tears, and Kiri felt the urge to wipe it away. So, with his remaining strength, he stretched out a hand and ran his thumb over the streaks of tears, rubbing them away.

"I'm ok," Kiri sighed, "I'm ok now."

"Don't you ever run off again."

"I won't."

Suddenly, the other archer appeared on his other side, and said something swiftly to the one Kiri had just made a promise to. The other nodded and stood up, holding her longbow at the ready and firing an arrow every once and a while at something Kiri couldn't see, partly because his vision was starting to turn to tunnel vision and partly because he was just too weak to lift his head. Moving also hurt very much, so Kiri decided against it.

"I'm so glad we found you," The archer with the short bow took Kiri's head in her hands and rested it in her lap, running her hands softly through Kiri's hair.

At first, Kiri winced as the elf's hands reached a point on the back of his head, but then the gentle repetition began to feel extremely soothing and he allowed it to happen.

"I'm glad you found me too," Kiri managed to mumble.

The archer with the short bow did not cry like the one with the longbow, but Kiri reached up anyways and touched her cheek. The elf took one of her hands so she could hold Kiri's against her cheek for longer, because he had no strength to keep it there by himself.

"She's gone," The elf with the longbow reported to the other elf.

"Good," The other replied darkly.

They both glanced down at Kiri, who decided it was about time that he gave up on consciousness so he could rest better.

"Let's get him back to town," The elf without tears spoke up.

That was the last Kiri heard. He welcomed the blackness happily and trusted the two with his life. He probably shouldn't have, seeing as how Odhu had tried to kill him because he had trusted her, but somehow the two elves seemed different. Kiri felt neither of them would ever abandon him, and it made him feel welcome and safe and loved. Of course, there was also a feeling of dread that stemmed from their abnormal loyalty, but Kiri pushed that to the side. He still cared deeply for both of the archers that had saved him, and he would act on that side of his emotions.

Hopefully it did not end up in death.


	8. Chapter 8

Kiri woke up with heavy eyes and a heavy heart. For some reason, he could not explain either of these. Nor could he explain why he was in a completely different room from where he had expected to wake up in. Come to think of it, Kiri didn't even remember falling asleep in the first place. Kiri wracked his brains for any kind of explanation as to why he was where he was, but the best he could come up with at the moment was that somehow he had been sleepwalking and just happened to end up here. It was not a very logical explanation though.

Instead of trying to think more, which started to give Kiri quite a bad headache, he looked around at his surroundings and tried to wake himself up, because he still felt very drowsy. The room he was in was dimly lit, because there were heavy cream curtains filtering out the light that tried to seep in through the large window. The furnishing in the room was rather plain, with a wooden nightstand and a bed with white sheets and a wooden closet, but other than that it was spacious and empty. Everything was very clean though, as if no one had been in there much before Kiri. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that Kiri had tossed the blankets over the room at some point in his sleep, he would have thought this room was as perfect as the time it was very first made.

Kiri slid his legs out from under what remaining blankets were left on top of him and felt his feet hit the floor with a dull thud. Judging by the echo, Kiri assumed he was on the second floor of a building, because it sounded hollow underneath him. Speaking of hollow, Kiri thought to himself as he listened to the thud, something in his chest felt exceptionally hollow. He still had no clue why. Instead, Kiri thought standing up and moving around might stimulate his mind and wake him up, out of his zombie like trance, so he pushed himself up using his hands.

That ended up being a very bad idea. Immediately, the back of Kiri's head burst in pain and the blood began to rush uncomfortably from his head as well. His legs felt like jelly and it took all his remaining concentration to keep himself standing. He also felt exceptionally winded, as if a wrecking ball had just hit him directly in the gut. He felt like a complete mess, and yet he could still not remember why he felt like that.

Suddenly, the door flung open and a short, young looking girl with two long pigtails hurried in and rushed to Kiri's side. She grabbed Kiri by one arm and somewhat aggressively lowered him down onto the bed.

"You need to take it easy," She chided Kiri lightly, "You're still recovering."

"Recovering?" Kiri repeated the word in confusion.

Well, that would explain the pain, Kiri thought. But what was he recovering from? Did it have something to do with the aching, hollow feeling in his chest?

"Yes," The young girl nodded in confirmation, "So please lie down."

"Ok," Kiri agreed obediently and laid his head back down on the fluffy white pillow. His eyes were wide open, however, and he stared at the girl with dozens of questions swimming around in his mind.

The girl hurried out of the room again, but she left the door open. Light flooded into the room and made Kiri squint his eyes as the sudden brightness. The girl soon returned with a small glass that had a suspiciously pink liquid inside of it. She returned to the bedside and held the glass out to Kiri. Kiri took it from the girl's outstretched hands and stared down into the depths of pink.

"Drink it," The girl urged him on, "It's medicine."

"Um," Kiri was about to protest, "Why is it pink?"

"Just drink it," The girl snapped, "It'll help you recover."

"Ok."

Kiri glanced down at the liquid again, but decided he might as well drink it. He found it slightly strange that a little girl was giving him medicine instead of a trained cleric or sorceress, who were far more proficient at healing and magic potions, but somehow the presence of a little girl made everything seem so trustworthy and innocent. There was no way she could be doing anything suspicious, and all she would ever want to do is help. Kiri gulped down the medicine as quickly as possible in case it tasted bad, but to his surprise it was very sweet. It tasted almost like strawberry candy. Kiri was almost sad it was just medicine. If this was a regular drink he would love to have more. Maybe if he didn't recover fast enough he could have more of the delicious candy medicine…

"Thanks," Kiri said kindly as he returned the glass to the little girl.

"You're welcome!" The little girl cheered gleefully and took the empty glass from Kiri.

The girl skipped out of the room, leaving Kiri alone again to gather his thoughts. He was still rather clueless to the whole situation, so he thought the next logical step was to ask the little girl. Right on cue, the little girl skipped back in and stood at the foot of the bed.

"Um," Kiri got the girl's attention, "Who are you exactly?"

"Oh, sorry," The girl giggled as if she had done something wrong, "My name is Candy!"

"Nice to meet you, Candy," Kiri flashed a playful grin, "I'm Kiri."

"Yes, I know," Candy told Kiri matter-of-factly, "I should know the names of my patients."

"Patients?"

"Of course," Candy giggled again, "Unless you don't think you're severely injured?"

"That's the thing," Kiri said, "I don't know how I got here or how I got hurt."

Candy rolled her eyes but still kept on her smile, "Don't worry, you'll remember soon enough. For now, just take it easy."

"Can you just tell me now?" Kiri asked desperately. He had no patience to wait around to figure things out himself.

"To be honest," Candy sighed, "I don't really know myself. Just wait for your girlfriends to show up and they'll explain everything. They should be here soon anyways."

Kiri shot up into a stiff sitting position and shouted, "Girlfriends?"

Candy had a look of surprise on her face for a moment, before her mouth curled up into a mischievous grin and she chuckled.

"I see how it is," Candy muttered to herself, "This is _very _interesting."

"Sorry, what?" Kiri was so startled by the fact that he apparently had more than one girlfriend to properly pay attention to what Candy was saying to him.

"Nothing," Candy dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand and another mysterious smile, "Just remember to rest, ok?"

"Ok…"

Candy left the room with a twirl and closed the door behind her. Kiri was left to mull over what Candy had said. All he could do was nervously anticipate the arrival of his two girlfriends and see what they had to say to him. Hopefully they could provide all the answers Kiri was looking for. Somehow, and he was not quite sure why, he felt that his heavy heart had something to do with these two supposed girlfriends. Or else that was just his crazy, rattled brain talking.

Kiri cautiously lifted one arm in case he had broken it or something and had not realized, and reached to feel his pounding head. He felt a soft bandage wrapped around his head and followed the material to the back of his head, where the epicenter of the pain was located at. He pressed against the back of his head for a moment but quickly stopped when a sharp pain pricked his head. When he withdrew his hand he noticed that his hand was stained with something eerily familiar. It was stained with blood.

"That's not good," Kiri noted to himself under his breath.

With that last fleeting thought, Kiri closed his eyes, which had somehow become very heavy again, and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Kiri!"<p>

A loud exclamation reached Kiri's ears and summoned him out of his blank world of semi consciousness. Kiri woke up with a start and a semi awareness that someone was coming over to him before a weight landed on the bed next to him. Kiri stiffened in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around him in a full on hug and a head burrowed into his shoulder. The person hugging him sniffled quietly like they were trying to hold back a full on wave of tears, and Kiri did not know what else to do but hug them back and pat them on the back.

"I thought," The person began shakily after a deep breath, "I thought you were dead."

"I'm not dead," Kiri said, which was somewhat obvious when he thought about it.

"I thought she had killed you," The person continued fearfully, "That we were too late. I'm sorry, Kiri, I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok," Kiri consoled them gently and held them closer in the hug, "I'm ok. It wasn't your fault."

"It was though," The person protested weakly, but the tone in their voice seemed to indicate they were calming down somewhat, "I shouldn't have done what I did. It's because of me all this happened. Please, forgive me."

"I was never mad at you to begin with," Kiri replied in astonishment. It made him wonder even more than ever what had happened.

"Kiri," The person sighed sadly, "I love you."

Kiri's mind stopped working. Was he really in a position to reply? In his mind, if he could not remember this person, there was no way he could truly reciprocate their feelings. But his heavy heart had felt uplifted the moment this person had called out his name, so surely there was some sort of connection? Somehow, he felt that it was right. It had always been right. Even if he could not remember, there was no mistaking the feeling he got. Yet, his mind argued against it, and his mind was just as much a part of him as his emotions. It deserved an equal say in his decision. In the end, Kiri decided to pretend to have not heard the words so he wouldn't have to deal with it. So, he did not reply and pretended to be spaced out and in quite a bit of discomfort instead.

"Kiri," The person, who he finally noticed was a female elven archer with long hair that flowed down her back, "I'll let you rest for a bit."

Then, the archer leaned down, brushed her hair behind her ear, and kissed Kiri softly on the forehead.

"Feel better," She whispered and left the room swiftly.

Kiri watched her go with a mixture of regret and relief. Somehow, he was glad she was gone. It gave him some breathing room and a chance to think. But then again, he wished she would have stayed, because they it gave him a chance to _think_. And maybe that was the most agonizing part of it all. He thought he probably did care for this archer, and she cared for him, but he wanted more care. And what if he could find better care somewhere else? He couldn't settle. He couldn't decide. He just kept searching and searching until either he found it all or lost everything instead.

Kiri stared into the dark recesses of the room for what felt like a long time. It was probably only a few seconds later, though, when a soft knock at the door stirred him from his thoughts. Kiri partially expected, partially hoped, and partially dreaded that it was that archer again, but this time it was a different person. She was still an elven archer, but her hair parted and fell down both shoulders and glowed like fresh snow. She held herself with her chin high and her shoulders back, but her eyes gleamed with concern and it was clear she was worried about him. She made Kiri feel protected and well cared for.

"Hey Kiri," The archer said softly and entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hey," Kiri replied with a casual smile.

The archer slowly made her way over to the bed and sat down on the edge, looking at Kiri with concern and kindness.

"Kiri," The archer said softly, "You don't remember a thing, do you."

It was less of a question and more of a statement, and a very true one at that. Kiri was shocked that the archer had been able to figure out so easily, but he was very glad that she did, because he did not want to pretend anymore and he could really use an explanation.

"Yeah," Kiri admitted in embarrassment, "Would you mind telling me, uh…?"

"My name is Artemis," The archer offered kindly, though her eyes looked slightly hurt.

"Thanks Artemis," Kiri sighed and looked at the soft features of her face in anticipation and wonder. Artemis looked very petite, but Kiri couldn't help but feel like if he had to fight against her, he would be obliterated within seconds.

"Anything for you," Artemis sighed quietly, and launched into a long explanation of what events had transpired to get Kiri to where he was.

Kiri listened avidly as Artemis explained who she and the other archer were. It turns out the other elf was named Art. Then, Kiri listened as Artemis explained as best she could how neither she nor Art had been able to find Kiri after Art had caught Artemis kissing Kiri (Kiri blinked and stared at Artemis's softly parted lips when she said this), and how they had managed to track him to the Inner Catacombs, where he had gone with Odhu, a mystic they had recently met. By this point in the story, the wound on Kiri's head began to ache even more and Kiri had to lie down and close his eyes. When he did so, and as Artemis continued to speak softly in the background, images and memories began to resurface into his conscious and he remembered the story Artemis was telling. He allowed her to recount the part where Odhu had tried to kill him, yet he did not bother to fill her in on what he thought of Odhu, or what she had said.

"So," Artemis smiled gently, "Remember now?"

"Yeah," Kiri replied truthfully, "Thanks Artemis."

Artemis could tell from the familiar way Kiri had said her name that he really did remember, and she was extremely relieved. Candy had told her and Art that Kiri's injuries were very serious, and the way he had hit his head made it very likely that something could be wrong with his memory. While Art was hysterical at the news, Artemis accepted it calmly, though sadly, and decided to once again do her best to help Kiri, no matter what. She allowed Art to go in and visit Kiri first, and when she came out looking both joyful and nervous, Artemis was not sure what to think. So, she decided to visit Kiri herself and see. She could tell immediately from the blank look on his face and that fact that he did not seem at all phased by her or the fact that she may or may not have kissed him very recently that he did not have his memory.

"Kiri," Artemis spoke suddenly, though she was a little hesitant, "You do remember what happened, right?"

"Mhm," Kiri nodded, "Why?"

"Well," Artemis was not sure how to continue, "I need to know… Are you upset that I kissed you?"

The direct question stunned Kiri for a moment. Artemis looked away from Kiri's face, which was a goldmine of subtle expressions that Artemis could notice nonetheless, and to the floor. She braced herself for Kiri's reply.

"No."

Artemis did not know what to say next. Kiri was not upset? But when Art had confronted them, Kiri had not supported Artemis. However, when Artemis thought back, he had not supported Art either. A sense of dread grew in her stomach, and she began to better understand the deeper meaning of that dream Kiri had decided to share with Artemis. She was not sure how to continue after the realization, but in the end Kiri took the initiative.

"Artemis," Kiri sat up and leaned closer to her, "I love you."

Kiri leaned closer and pressed his lips against Artemis's. Artemis was filled with a sense of horror, but that was almost immediately squashed out by a superior, much better feeling of joy and ecstasy. She leaned closer to Kiri to make it easier on him and focused on keeping her lips soft against Kiri's. Artemis wasn't sure if it was just her inexperience or if Kiri was such an expert, but the kiss made everything around her dissolve for the brief few seconds it lasted for. It was the only she cared about, and the only thing running through her mind. For once, ideas of how to improve her combo to better kill monsters completely disappeared from her mind. And she liked it.

Kiri, meanwhile, only had one thought running through his head. It was his first kiss. His very first kiss on the lips, and it was with _Artemis_. And he was probably doing terrible. Artemis must have kissed plenty of people better than him, and he was letting her down, just like he would when he was to join her at Lotus Marsh. How was he ever supposed to measure up to her, and the expectations she probably had. Why was she settling for him?

* * *

><p>After Art and Artemis had visited, Candy shooed both of them away with a strict scolding. Kiri would not recover with them pestering him and worrying him constantly. So, Candy banished Art and Artemis from visiting. When Kiri heard this, he was upset because he had a lot to sort out between them, but he was also very grateful for Candy's decision because, even if he did not want to admit it, he really needed a break from them. He needed a break from everything, to be honest. The wounds all over his body told him that.<p>

Kiri still had a hard time believing Odhu had tried to kill him. He felt betrayed and hollow inside, but there was a small ray of hope that sparked in his mind. Odhu had acted weird, even for someone trying to kill another. Hadn't she wanted Kiri to turn back? Maybe her plan for murder was more complicated than only what Kiri knew about. Still, he did not understand why. Was it personal, or something more? There were so many things that just did not make sense to him.

"Are you ever going to sleep," Candy's teasing voice snapped Kiri out of his thoughts, "Or are you always staring off into space like this?"

Kiri sighed and tried to sink deeper into the bed. He was getting sick of the same bed and the same room, but there was nothing he could do about it. When he closed his eyes, though, they immediately snapped back open and his mind continued to buzz with confused thoughts. He also felt extremely restless and kept resisting the urge to toss and turn.

Kiri had hoped that his silence and attempt at stillness had convinced Candy, but a sudden weight hitting the side of the bed told him otherwise. He opened one eye, somewhat thankfully, and stared at Candy, who was smiling gently at him, without that teasing or stern look she usually had.

"Is something bothering you?" Candy asked Kiri. She sounded sincerely worried, and Kiri couldn't help but feel as if he could trust Candy with all of his worries.

"Kind of," Kiri said in a guarded tone, "Don't worry about it, though."

Candy pouted and crossed her arms, "You don't trust me?"

"No, it's not that! I just don't want to bother you with it," Kiri explained poorly, and Candy just rolled her eyes.

"Come on," She pressed on, "Tell me."

Kiri sighed heavily and decided that there was no real reason not to tell her. Candy had been nothing but helpful for as long as he had been with her, so there was no reason she was going to stop any time soon.

"Those two archers, Art and Artemis," Kiri started unsurely, "I don't know which of them… Or how to explain it to them… How I should treat them… You know?"

After Kiri's terrible explanation that really gave no information to Candy whatsoever, Kiri was shocked to see Candy nod in understanding.

"I get it," Candy nodded wisely, "That must be tough."

"It is," Kiri complained and began to see Art and Artemis in his mind, smiling at him. Then they started fighting like in his dream and he felt battered and helpless.

"The way I see it," Candy mused out loud, "You need to make a decision, but you don't know what the answer should be, or how to go about it."

Kiri blinked, "Yeah."

Candy continued as if Kiri was no longer there, "They're both two great people that is for sure, though they are very different. And they have two completely different approaches too."

"Yes," Kiri was wondering if Candy intended to help or if she was just repeating his problems back to him.

"Look," Candy suddenly snapped and glared at Kiri intensely, "It's all about how you feel around them. They should make you happy. They should help you, and make life easier and more enjoyable for you. They should be someone you can trust, and someone who trusts you. Someone who cares about you, and not how you will benefit them."

Kiri repeated Candy's words over and over in his head. He thought about Art and Artemis, and how each of them seemed to meet the criteria. But he also thought about how they didn't. Art was the one that shocked Kiri into going to the Catacombs with Odhu, but it was Artemis who had made Art nervous. The whole series of events were all too confusing and unclear to Kiri.

Then, Kiri began to think about other people who met that set of criteria. The most immediate example, and the one that made Kiri the most nervous, was that of Candy. Candy helped him and healed him, and she was also giving him advice. He trusted her with a personal issue. She was caring for him, and she didn't do it because she expected something from him. Candy met all of those things, and Kiri began to wonder… Maybe Art and Artemis were not really right for him. But Candy was still only a little more than a stranger, and Kiri would not blame Candy if she did not care to be with him after everything she had learned about him. Still, those wide, attentive, sparkling eyes watching him as he thought were captivating and full of something Kiri yearned for, though he wasn't sure what.

"Thanks Candy," Kiri spoke at last, "That really helped."

"Hey, any time," Candy winked and stood up to leave.

Candy turned around as if she had come to a sudden realization, "By the way, you should be able to leave tomorrow."

"Oh," Kiri replied simply, "Ok."

"Now get some rest," Candy commanded sternly. And with that, Candy left the room.

Kiri closed his eyes and thought about everything Candy had told him. It made him feel better, having some sort of criteria to judge on, but the conclusions he had drawn seemed so different from what he had been expecting, that he was not sure what to make of them or if he could even trust them. Kiri did know, however, that Candy had been an exceptional person to him and he wanted to know her better. He couldn't help but feel that he truly cared for the sweet girl.


	9. Chapter 9

When the next day arrived, Kiri felt, for once, that he did not want to get out of the bed. Outside his comfortable little room was a world in which he had to make decisions and continue fighting as if that was his only purpose in life. He'd rather stay nice and comfortable in his room, with Candy taking care of him and making him smile and making him think more deeply than he had in a long time. He would miss that. In fact, he was extremely unwilling to give it up.

Candy skipped into the room with a wide smile, "Good morning!"

"Morning," Kiri smiled sleepily and watched Candy as she hopped over to him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked Kiri in a more serious tone.

Kiri hesitated for a moment, weighing his options, before answering, "Good."

"That's great! I guess you're free to go then!" Candy clapped her hands together.

Kiri refrained from heaving a depressed sigh and once again tried to stand up from the bed. When he pushed himself up, though, his head did not hurt, and his legs stood firm underneath him. He could see and think clearly, and he could move around without any trouble. He felt fully recovered, except for maybe a small part of his heart that had been torn away with the burden he now carried. He felt like he had lost something and gained too much he did not truly want in its place.

As Kiri made his way to the door so he could descend the steps and reenter the world outside, he paused and looked back at Candy, who was smoothing out the bed and humming under her breath.

"Hey Candy," Kiri spoke quietly.

Candy looked up and tilted her head slightly to the side in a questioning gesture.

"Will I see you around town sometime soon?" Kiri asked before he could talk himself out of it.

"Oh," Candy seemed taken aback, "I was going out to a place I have in the woods for a little vacation, you know, get away from everything? I was going to be gone for a couple weeks."

"Oh," Kiri echoed the word and felt his resolve shaking.

"But," Candy added hastily, "It looks like you need a retreat just as much as me."

"I guess I do," Kiri chuckled shyly.

"I have an idea!" Candy exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Kiri was open to any idea Candy had to suggest, so he listened attentively.

Candy paused to add a bit of dramatic effect, "Why don't you come with me!"

Kiri let the suggestion sink in. Candy was inviting him to join her out in the woods for a retreat from the world. It sounded like just what he needed, both to get away from his current problems and to work on getting to know Candy better. The more he thought about it the more perfect it sounded, until Kiri felt himself bubbling with excitement.

"Sure!" Kiri agreed happily.

"Great," Candy smiled mischievously at Kiri, "I can't wait."

Kiri then thought about what would happen with Art and Artemis. He still had to walk down those stairs, go out into the town, and find them. He had to sort things out with them, and he just did not think he was ready to do so yet. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had not thought about it enough to come up with a decent solution, and the more desperate he became to leave for a vacation with Candy as soon as possible.

"When are we leaving?" Kiri asked in anticipation.

"Hm," Candy hummed and thought about it for a moment, "We could leave now if you're ready?"

Kiri could not believe his luck. He was being offered a perfect escape and a perfect opportunity to figure everything out. He would be the most foolish fool in the entire world if he turned down the offer that was placed so conveniently in front of him.

"Sounds good!" Kiri agreed enthusiastically.

Candy smiled at him and darted over to his side. She grabbed hold of one of his hands and led him down the stairs, leaping down them two steps at a time, until Kiri saw the front door. Candy held one hand out and the door burst open as they rushed out. Candy wasted no time in hurrying down the cobbled roads, out towards Crystal Stream, and towards the Gale Woods. Kiri followed helplessly behind her, but he did not feel afraid or worried. Rather, he felt overjoyed, relieved, and excited. He was going to enjoy every moment of this getaway from his current reality, and he was glad he had Candy to be there with him.

All the way through the Gale Woods, Candy giggled gleefully and Kiri hurried behind her, doing his best to keep up even though he had lost a fair amount of stamina during his recovery time. Eventually, they reached the outskirts of Ironwood Village and Candy turned Kiri away and into the Shadow Forest. The tall, looming trees overhead provided plenty of shade as the two of them slowed down to admire the quaint silence and the beautiful views of nature. Candy would giggle and point out wild poochums that ran around between the trees, and Kiri would laugh at her childish excitement. It was infectious, and soon enough both Kiri and Candy could not help but smile like idiots and laugh every time they saw a poochum. Kiri had already forgotten all about what he had intended to leave behind, and he definitely was not thinking about returning to it any time soon. Rather, he immersed himself in the moment and allowed himself to genuinely smile and enjoy himself, if only for the moment.

* * *

><p>When Kiri and Candy finally spotted a large wooden house in the distance, the poochums had long since disappeared back home and the sun was starting to sink closer and closer to the tops of the trees. The sky was tinged pink and orange as the light began to fade away. Kiri was glad they reached the house in time, because the Shadow Forest at night could be potentially dangerous. Even worse, they could get lost. Kiri really had no idea where they were, so he was trusting Candy to lead him. And he didn't know how well Candy would do at night, in the pitch dark.<p>

"Welcome to my cabin in the woods," Candy said slyly as she opened the door to the house and stepped inside.

It was completely dark except for the light seeping in through the open door, which Kiri stepped through after Candy. Candy closed the door after him, which plunged them into complete darkness. Kiri took out his wand and held it up so the faint glow could provide him with at least a little light to see with. He saw Candy stumbling around in the dark with her arms outstretched, feeling her way down the wall and towards a strange trigger on the wall. When she finally got there, she hit the trigger and strange, bright lights lit up the room. The lights were held in little glass bottles that were strung around the roof, and inside were strange liquids that shined a shockingly luminous glow. There were yellows and whites and blues in many very light tints. Kiri put away his wand the moment the mysterious lights turned on and he began to admire them up close.

"Wow," Kiri breathed, "These are amazing."

"Thanks," Candy said humbly, "I made them myself."

"What? How?" Kiri was astounded.

Candy blushed slightly at the impressed look on Kiri's face, "Well, I'm an alchemist, so I specialize in chemicals and concoctions and such. I made these from scratch one time while I was here."

"Wow," Kiri smiled at the bashful looking Candy, "That's really impressive."

"Thanks," Candy said again and looked up at her own creations with a proud smile.

Kiri wandered around the first floor of the house, taking in the gleam of the lights as they lit up the rooms and shined against the simple furniture. The house itself was nothing fancy, and the furniture wasn't either, but Kiri felt very welcome and cozy and at home while he was looking around. Candy followed behind him and watched him nervously, half expecting Kiri to declare her getaway home unsatisfactory and leave her at any moment.

Candy did not want Kiri to leave. In fact, when she had told Kiri he could go, she almost gave in to her temptation to tell him he was not well enough yet and must stay with her longer. However, when Kiri asked if he would see her again, she could not believe that there was a chance with someone like him. Of course, the whole issue with Art and Artemis bothered Candy immensely, but she tried to look past it. She tried not to feel guilty about what she was doing. Kiri agreed to it anyways, in fact he even suggested it to her.

The light outside quickly faded away into darkness, but the mysterious glowing lights inside the cabin remained bright and they illuminated the entirety of the house. Inside the house, a lone figure lounged on a soft, plush armchair. This figure, with pale hair and similarly pale skin, sunk deep into the material of the chair and let out a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and focused on the steadiness of his breathing, willing himself to forget all of his wandering thoughts to focus on the present. He had opted out of his heavy cleric armor for his lightweight, casual clothing, which consisted of a simple shirt and pants. He stared up at the glowing lights again. In the living room where he was located, the lights were mostly oranges and reds and pinks, mixing together into a blend of colors that reminded the figure of sunsets and roses.

Kiri hardly even moved when the sound of fast, pattering footsteps seemed to be approaching him. He jumped slightly when Candy landed on the head of the armchair with a loud, playful giggle. Kiri did not bother to glance over at Candy, but she did not seem to mind. She sat atop the armchair like a parrot with a broad grin spread across her face.

"What are you doing?" Kiri finally asked with an amused tone in his voice.

Candy giggled and did not reply. Kiri still refused to turn around and look at her, though.

"Kiri," Candy said.

Kiri did not respond.

Candy repeated, "Kiri."

Kiri sat as still as a statue and stared adamantly ahead as if he was fascinated by the wall.

"Kiri, look," Candy prompted once again.

When Kiri still did not do what Candy told him to Candy sighed and began to chuckle evilly under her breath.

"Why do you want me to-?"

Kiri was cut off as Candy launched off of the head of the armchair and landed in Kiri's lap in a fit of laughter. She spread herself out until she became some sort of human blanket, with her head resting on one arm of the chair and her feet sticking out from the other arm. She stared up at Kiri with a devilish, taunting smile, as if challenging him to try and resist.

Kiri, however, did not try and fight against Candy. He tickled her feet, which made Candy wiggle around in an attempt to escape. She started laughing so much her face became tinged with red and her stomach began to ache. She tried without success to tell Kiri to stop as he continued to tickle her, until finally Kiri decided to stop himself. Candy had long since curled up tightly in a ball with her head resting on Kiri's flat stomach, because he had long since sank even deeper in the chair until the position he was in could hardly be called sitting anymore.

"I can't breathe," Candy finally panted as she began to uncurl from her ball. She kept her head resting on Kiri's stomach and rubbed her sore stomach.

"That's what you get," Kiri scolded her jokingly, which made Candy giggle.

"Tough love," She mumbled to herself.

However, Kiri heard her speak and his attention immediately pricked. A veil of silence settled over the room as the mysterious lighted continued to glow.

"I know what you mean," Kiri sighed again.

No matter what, he just could not seem to get his mind off of Art and Artemis for more than an hour or two at the maximum. He did not know what was wrong with him. He kept thinking about what Art had told him, and how he had told that exact same thing to Artemis instead. Candy pressed closer to Kiri in the midst of the silence and Kiri unconsciously ran a hand through her hair, following the path of one of her long, yellowish golden pigtails. He curled ends of her hair around his fingers and let it unwind, over and over again.

"Hey Candy," Kiri spoke up and momentarily stopped what he was doing, "Do you know what love is?"

Candy was silent for quite some time. It was a difficult question, and not really something that someone could have an answer for. To Candy, love was always different from person to person. It was special for that person only.

"I think love is something that is unique for each person, and that when two people have the same idea about love they tend to find each other, and that's when it becomes true love. It just takes time to find that right person," Candy mused out loud, thinking over each word carefully.

Kiri hummed at her answer. It made sense, but it still left him with many questions.

"But what does true love feel like?" Kiri asked. He sounded awfully like a young, lost child that was just beginning to learn about the complexities of the world. He was the child that asked his parents any question that came to mind because he expected them to have all the answers ready to give him, so he could easily make sense of everything without a challenge for himself.

Candy sighed, "I can't really say. I don't know much about it myself, but I have an older sister who's been researching something called Love Disease, and she told me a bit about her research."

"Oh?"

"Well," Candy began uncertainly, "She told me that love goes through a cycle, and the furthest in the cycle most people reach is something called Infatuation, when you become obsessed with them and feel happy and experience all the thrills that come with being with a new person. But infatuation isn't the same as love. Love goes beyond that."

"That," Kiri said blankly, "Makes no sense."

Candy huffed, "My sis said that people think the infatuation stage is the most exciting and joyful, and the happy feeling they get is mistaken for love, so when that stage in the cycle ends they think it wasn't really love to begin with and they move on to someone else to experience the same stuff all over again."

"So they're addicted to it?" Kiri asked in confusion.

"I guess," Candy sighed, "My sis said you could use the same idea to make monsters fight each other. That was her real goal, so I'm not sure if any of this actually makes sense for people."

"Oh," Kiri sounded disappointed.

Another heavy silence fell upon the two, and each was unsure of what to say next. Candy tried her best to keep Kiri's mind present, but she could tell his thoughts were very far away from her. She looked up at the pink and orange and red lights and sighed. The roses withered and the sunset plunged straight into darkness. The person with her was gone and there was only the smallest chance of bringing them back.

Kiri absentmindedly began to trace Candy's pigtails again. Candy closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the moment, but the more she thought about it, the emptier all his actions seemed. In all the talk about love, Candy could not help but diagnose Kiri with what she had tried to explain. Kiri loved the firsts, the infatuation, the mysteries of everyone, but when it was time to move on to the deeper, more sincere levels he got cold feet and tried to find someone else to give him that feeling once again. Then again, Kiri seemed too kind and sincere in everything he did. He was no coward, and maybe it was just because of his near death situation that he needed a break. Candy could not really judge from the short time she had known him. Maybe he was just going through too much and needed a break. In any case, she would still try and cheer him up and make him happy. Mental health was just as important as physical health, after all.

"Candy," Kiri shifted in the armchair and began to sit up slowly.

Candy lifted up her head and slid off Kiri. She sat on one of the arms of the chair and looked at Kiri's tired expression.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Kiri said and stood up.

"Ok," Candy smiled at him, "Good night!"

"Night."

Candy watched as Kiri drifted slowly away to his bedroom. She was sad to see him go, when it really wasn't all that late at night yet, but she could not blame him. He did look exhausted, after all. He just needed time to recover, Candy thought to herself, and then he'd be happier. Candy decided to go to bed as well.

The mysterious lights in the room flickered for a brief moment as the room was abandoned.


	10. Chapter 10

In the morning, Kiri rolled out of bed in a daze and hit the floor with a surprised gasp. After his face made contact with the floor, he was wide awake and feeling a little embarrassed at him clumsy behavior. However, he lay frozen on the floor for a long while. It would take too much effort to get up anyways, and he wasn't all that uncomfortable either. Maybe he would just stay that way for a moment longer.

There was a quick knock at the door, and by then Kiri had nearly fallen asleep again. He groaned, which the person on the other side of the door assumed was an invitation to enter. The door swung open and Candy poked her head in, only to find Kiri laying face down on the floor. She stared at him for a moment, until Kiri rolled over and made eye contact with her. Suddenly, Candy burst into a fit of laughter. Kiri felt a feeling of indignation bubble up in his stomach, and he opened his mouth to retort.

"You're so funny, Kiri," Candy managed to say between fits of giggles.

Kiri closed his mouth, slightly appeased by the compliment. Or, at least, he hoped it was a compliment. He was glad he could make Candy laugh, so being funny was a good thing, right? Either way, he just pushed himself up and stood there for a moment until he felt himself gain his balance. Candy stood by the door as he sauntered over to her in a groggy daze.

"Are you tired?" Candy raised an eyebrow and stared at Kiri as he dragged his feet across the floor.

"Yes," Kiri replied simply, focusing on not tripping over his feet, since he did not feel like putting in enough effort to pick them up and walk properly.

Candy laughed and closed the door behind Kiri. She followed him down the hallway and into the living room they had been in last night. Kiri squinted his eyes as he was met with bright sunlight. Candy must have gotten up and opened all the curtains, because light filtered in from practically everywhere. The mysterious lights were not glowing for the moment, though Kiri could still see their fascinating colors in his memory.

"Is there breakfast?" Kiri mumbled and stretched his back, raising his arms high above his head and yawning.

"Of course, Your Highness," Candy rolled her eyes and teased him.

Kiri stuck out his tongue in a childish fashion and allowed Candy to take the lead. He followed her out of the living room and towards what he assumed was the kitchen. Sure enough, when they got there, a small buffet was already laid out for Kiri to choose from. His stomach growled loudly and he stared at the food with unrestricted desire. Candy watched his reaction and could not help but imagine a starved little wolf pup as she observed Kiri begin to eat.

"I'm glad you like it," Candy said softly.

Kiri swallowed a large mouthful and then turned to face Candy. She was standing off to the side, looking around the kitchen as if she felt bad staring at Kiri. Kiri crossed the distance between them in a couple quick strides and pulled Candy into a hug. Candy was surprised at first, but she quickly hugged Kiri back and buried her face in Kiri's chest.

"Thank you," Kiri mumbled to Candy.

"You're welcome."

Candy let go of Kiri and Kiri stepped back, keeping Candy at arm's length. He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he had the chance, there was a loud boom and Kiri heard what sounded like wood being splintered into millions of little pieces. Candy gasped and lost her balance as whatever had caused the noise shook the house. Kiri immediately began to look for his wand, which he found in the living room. Candy joined him with a strange looking device in her hands, and together they followed the feeling of wind blowing through the house when it should not be. They rounded the corner and found that the entire front of Candy's home had been smashed to pieces. Standing there in the middle of the carnage was a familiar figure. She held a staff in one hand a glowing orb in the other, and her eyes bored into Kiri and made him freeze in horror.

"Hello, Kiri," Odhu greeted him cordially, in a dangerously steady voice.

Candy stared at Odhu in confusion and nervousness, and then she turned to Kiri.

"Who is this?" Candy questioned Kiri urgently.

Kiri shook his head and stared at Odhu in disbelief. He couldn't believe she had found him again, and he was willing to bet she was planning on finishing what she had started. When Kiri did not answer Candy, but rather reached a hand to the back of the head where he had been injured recently, Candy began to put the pieces together. She placed herself in between the mystic and Kiri, and stood her ground, with the strange device pointed right at Odhu.

"Why did you destroy my house?" Candy demanded coldly.

"It had to be done," Odhu replied icily, looking past the short and rather harmless looking Candy and right into Kiri's eyes. He still had not moved.

"Go away," Candy held her aim and glared at Odhu.

Odhu laughed wildly for a moment, "I have something to finish first."

Candy stood her ground and challenged Odhu to try and get past her. Odhu shrugged, and made a step forward. But before Candy could do anything, a strange black pentagram appeared in front of Odhu and she vanished into thin air. Suddenly, she reappeared seconds later right next to Kiri and knocked him back with a blast of dark energy. Kiri stumbled backwards and fell over from the force. Odhu continued to advance, holding Candy back with a gravity orb that she conjured between the two of them.

"I'm sorry," Odhu whispered to Kiri, and then in a louder voice, "Good bye."


	11. Chapter 11

Kiri stared blankly up at Odhu, who showed no signs of backing down. Her choice was made and her mind was set, and the only way Kiri saw this working out was by the shedding of his blood. Strangely though, he made no attempt to resist. Any strength he could gather to fight against Odhu seemed not to come to him, but he was not particularly upset or concerned about that. Instead, he waited for what he knew would be his end. And when he thought about this, he felt a sharp pain of regret in his conscious, and he remembered that Artemis and Art would not know he had left only to die, and he realized that he wished they would know why he left and that he wanted to come back. He felt he could make a life changing choice, but he would not have the chance, and he never would again. His eyes burned with tears that would not fall because he could not speak to either of them again, and he would leave something important unfinished and unanswered. But he supposed in the end he was going to die, and he might as well die and get it over with, because nothing he could think of and nothing he could feel would change that.

"Good bye," Odhu's voice rang in Kiri's ears, indicating that it was time for him to pass on. Kiri braced himself, because he did not know what came after a finishing blow, and he feared that bracing himself would have no effect.

Kiri did not know when he closed his eyes, and he did not know how long it took for Odhu to strike, but he felt like he waited for too long. Instead of opening his eyes to look, though, he felt with his other senses as the ground beneath him shook and an ear splitting, yet eerily familiar sound shook his eardrums. When a surprised yell and stifled groan followed shortly after, Kiri's eyes finally opened and he stared in blank confusion at the scene around him. The first thing he noticed was the massive body of a familiar creature. It looked almost exactly like Hobspid, the bizarre monster that tried to kill him at the Marauder's Lair, except it was bigger, with much larger black claws. The second thing Kiri noticed was that the limp body of Odhu was clutched firmly in the monster's grasp. Then, a loud crack echoed through the woods and Kiri turned to see the majority of Candy's small home collapsing in on itself, the wooden structural beams splitting from the pressure placed on them.

"My house!" Candy shouted out plainly, as if she was pointing out a casual fact, though her face reddened noticeably as she stared at the large monster and Odhu.

The monster let out a loud growl and turned on its oversized heels. Then, it launched itself back into the trees, taking Odhu with it. Kiri lay on the ground, still staring with his mouth slightly open, until a voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Kiri! Kiri!"

Kiri looked to his side as Candy kneeled down next to him, pulling out a strange glass flask full of bright red liquid and pressing it into Kiri's palms.

"Drink it," Candy commanded him steadily.

Kiri did as he was told and downed the whole flask in one gulp. While he did so, Candy raised her head and scanned the surrounding trees with narrowed eyes. The forest was deadly silent now, but it felt like a false calm. The strange weapon she pulled out earlier lay on the ground next to her, and Kiri eyed it with curiosity. Candy did not seem to notice.

"Are you ok?" Candy asked Kiri after a moment of silence.

Kiri nodded his head, but Candy still was not looking. When Kiri realized this, he swallowed and opened his mouth.

"Yeah," Kiri answered shakily.

"That thing destroyed my house," Candy pointed out flatly, "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Uh," Kiri opened his mouth but could not find the words to answer.

"I had a lot of research being conducted in that house too," Candy sighed, "And you know how much time it took to make those colored lights?"

Kiri stared at Candy in disbelief. He could not help but feel that she was missing the entire point of what just happened.

"And then there was that sorceress," Candy exclaimed, and a faint flicker of hope sparked in Kiri's heart, "I mean, who does she think she is, challenging _me _of all people!"

"Oh," The faint spark of hope within Kiri immediately flickered out of existence.

Candy muttered something under her breath that Kiri could not catch, but he felt that he did not want to know what she said. Finally, Candy collapsed onto the ground with her legs sticking out in front of her and heaved a sigh. Her shoulders drooped and she eyed Kiri warily.

"You're a lot of trouble, aren't you Kiri?" She glanced over at Kiri, who was still sitting dumbstruck on the ground.

Kiri managed to pull himself together in the moment and spread a guilty smile across his face. Candy raised her eyebrows at him in an exasperated manner, but when Kiri just frowned with wide eyes, she broke out into a small fit of laughter and rested her head against Kiri's arm. She wrapped her two slim arms around his and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to be honest," Candy mumbled, "I've seen a lot of strange mutant creatures, but I've _never _seen something like that."

"That doesn't sound good," Kiri commented lightly.

Candy giggled, "Probably not. I've also never seen a crazy killer sorceress before."

"Well that might be a good thing."

"I would agree with that," Candy replied calmly.

Kiri sighed heavily and massaged a sore spot on his ribs. He was still recovering from the last time Odhu tried to kill him, and the second attempt only made it worse.

"At least she's gone now," Candy pointed out optimistically, "And just judging by that monster, I don't know if she's ever coming back."

Kiri could not help but shudder at that thought. It was true, Odhu had tried to kill him twice, but just thinking about that giant creature with its sharp, black claws carrying Odhu away like a helpless ragdoll, he felt a twinge of pity, even a faint desire to help. When Kiri thought back, he remembered how Odhu had led him down into the Inner Catacombs. That was when she had originally tried to kill him, but the more Kiri thought about it, the stranger Odhu's behavior seemed. She had thanked him for something that he still had no idea what he had done to deserve it, and even suggested they could still turn back. She had begged him to fight back, but arguably had made it very hard for him to do so. There was just something about Odhu that baffled Kiri, but whenever he thought about her he could clearly recall that look of sorrow that broke through her armored shell of apathy, and he felt an urge of desire to know more about her.

"She'll come back," Kiri shrugged Candy off all of a sudden and stood up.

Candy stared up at Kiri in confusion, with a hurt glint in her eye as she stared at the empty patch of grass they had just been sitting on together. Now, all she had left to hug was an empty patch of air.

"What do you mean?" Candy titled her head to one side, weary of Kiri's answer.

"We're going to go save her," Kiri declared with determination edging his voice.

"Um," Candy spluttered out loudly, "What?"

Kiri nodded absently, already staring out into the quiet, dark wilderness that the monster and Odhu had disappeared into.

"Let me get this straight," Candy sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead, "You want to go rescue the psycho sorceress who tried to kill you _twice_, from a psycho monster we've never seen before?"

"Yes."

Candy stared blankly at Kiri. No matter how many different ways she thought about it, she really could see no logical reason why Kiri would want to go after and help Odhu of all people. She wondered helplessly what could possibly make Kiri care so much for such a strange, apparently evil woman, but there was no denying that Kiri felt something, even if Candy did not know what. Candy seriously questioned agreeing to this ridiculous declaration, but she had a bad feeling Kiri would go off by himself even if she did not support him, and Candy could not help thinking about the last time Kiri had been alone with Odhu. If anything, Candy decided, she was just going along to keep him safe, and maybe she could convince him not to go through with his brainless plan before they even found Odhu.

"Ok," Candy breathed and grabbed hold of her strange device, "Let's go."

She hefted the mysterious weapon onto her back and stretched her arms above her head to loosen up her back. All the while, Kiri could not help but stare. Candy looked at him with amusement glittering in her eyes and grinned wickedly.

"Do you like what you see?" She teased him and spun around on her heels.

Kiri blinked furiously and shook his head. He quickly looked away, off into the depths of the forest. Candy stared at him for a few moments, feeling her heart drop with each second.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Candy asked.

In response, Kiri shook his head, a rather helpless smile on his face. Candy brushed past him and pointed in the direction the large footprints on the ground disappeared into. Kiri glanced at the ground and laughed in embarrassment when he saw the gigantic footprints, which were quite honestly very hard to miss. Candy just shook her head and started walking delicately in the same direction. Kiri trailed behind her, not quite keeping pace but not falling behind either.

"This should be interesting," Candy mumbled to herself, too quiet for Kiri to hear, as she glanced down nervously to watch her footsteps.


	12. Chapter 12

Kiri watched Candy's hair bounce up and down slightly with each step she took on the uneven footing of the thick foliage in the forest. The leaves overhead blocked out most of the light, but Kiri could spot the vague rays of dawn trying to shine through to the forest floor. As he looked upwards, he stepped on a twig and a loud, crisp snap echoed throughout the forest, making Candy stop in her tracks and jump.

"Sorry," Kiri quickly apologized, to which he received a rather stern glare from Candy for.

"I see more footprints," Candy brushed over the subject quickly and pointed at the ground.

Indeed, the grass beneath their foot was flattened in many places by several pairs of overly large, monstrous footprints. The claws of their feet dug into the soil and left several holes poking into the soft earth. Kiri began to lose his resolve when he saw how many footprints there were. At first, he thought there was only one, at most two, of those strange monsters running around, but clearly he was wrong about that. Candy, however, seemed completely calm. Kiri stared at her for a moment while she would not notice. He did not understand how she could be so calm sometimes, and how in the most dire of moments she could seem so at ease, ready to make a joke the very next second. It was an astounding quality, he thought, but very hard to understand.

"I think," Candy broke Kiri's train of thought, "We're getting close."

Kiri gulped and followed after Candy. He felt even more uncomfortable when she drew her mysterious weapon and slowed her pace to an almost crawl, careful not to make any sounds. She darted between the shadows of the looming trees as the sun began to rise higher and higher in the sky. Kiri tried his best to imitate her strategy, but he just did not feel sneaky and agile enough with his heavy cleric armor and shield.

Eventually, Candy stopped dead in her tracks and Kiri came to a halt behind her. They stood in the shade of a massive oak tree that marked the edge of a large clearing. Kiri squinted his eyes against the bright sunlight that flooded into the clearing, but soon enough he was able to clearly distinguish the strange sights he was seeing. At the edge of the clearing, closer to the two of them, a strange stone structure contained trace amounts of a glowing, viscous purple liquid. Odhu was lying still in the center of the clearing, and seeing her unmoving body made Kiri's heart lurch with a sudden desire to run to her side so he could know that she was alright, that he could save her, and that she would live. But the hordes of very similar looking monsters with sickly blue skin and sharp, lengthy black claws prevented him from doing so. They hobbled around with fangs barred, hissing from deep in their throats every once and a while, sending shivers down Kiri's spine. The most suspicious character of all, though, was a woman that looked a lot like a dark elf and was dressed completely in red. Her red hood shrouded her head and her back was facing them, but Kiri could still see her exposed skin. She held a strange vial in her hands, and she looked out over the hordes of hobgoblins as if they were her own children. Kiri got a distinctly bad feeling from this dark elf woman, but he did not feel like confirming his suspicions.

"Kiri," Candy whispered under her breath, so quiet that the slightest rustle of the leaves in the breeze nearly muffled her voice entirely, "Are you _sure _you want to do this?"

Kiri looked at the mysterious woman, the hobgoblins, and the unmoving body of Odhu. He stared at the glowing purple liquid, and he wondered why. Why was he doing this, why was he a part of this, why did he care. He had no easy answer, but somehow, the questions did not bother him.

"Yes," He confirmed.

"Ok then," Candy took a deep breath, "Then you'd better prepare for a fight."

Without much more than that as a warning, Candy gripped her weapon tightly and ran out of the shelter of the oak tree, lobbing what Kiri could only assume was a grenade at the horde of hobgoblins and shooting glowing blue bubbles at the lady in red. The lady in red snapped her head to see what was causing the disruption in the clearing, and she narrowed her eyes when she saw Candy.

Kiri heard her mutter furiously, "I don't have time for this right now!"

Then, she launched herself into the air and dashed past Candy, knocking her to the ground, before proceeding forward to Odhu. She quickly uncapped the vial with surprising grace for a woman with gigantic claws extending from her nails, and forced the liquid inside down Odhu's throat.

Odhu coughed feebly and squeezed her eyes shut tighter as the dark elf stood up, threw the vial to the ground, and glared at Candy as Kiri was helping her to her feet. Without another word, the lady in red whistled and the entire gathering of hobgoblins descended upon the two of them. The dark elf herself vanished into the forest, leaving the horde to deal with Kiri and Candy.

The monsters surged forward in a chaotic mass of growling and hissing, reducing themselves to all fours in order to run at their fastest, which meant that they gave Kiri and Candy the least amount of time possible to prepare for the attack. Kiri drew his shield and managed to bash one monster directly in the jaw, knocking it away from a direct collision with Candy. Candy gasped as the monster went flying, but she steadied herself and looked over at Odhu, who looked to be in a state of great discomfort.

"Kiri, go help Odhu, I can fight the monsters!" Candy shouted over the noise as she tossed a canister of napalm into the mob.

Kiri glanced at her reluctantly, "Are you sure?"

"Just do it!" Candy snapped.

Kiri gave in to her command and sheathed his weapons. Then, he sprinted over to where Odhu lay and knelt down on his knees in the grass next to her. She writhed around, rustling the grass and making it hard for Kiri to check her pulse. Eventually, he gave up on trying to kneel next to her and decided it was best to pin her down by sitting on top of her. He pinned her down by her shoulders and successfully managed to find a weak pulse beating in her next. Then, he rolled over to the nearly empty vial in the grass and stared at the remaining contents inside. It was the same purple liquid he had seen at the Marauder's Lair, and he remembered how it had turned a small, weak little goblin into a giant beast. That's when his mind began to race.

Meanwhile, Candy was busying herself fighting for her life. She threw poison and chemicals everywhere, tossed grenades and napalm into the crowd, and ran around shooting strange blue bubbles from her weapon, but the monsters did not stay down long, and they just kept coming and coming like the endless ebb and flow of the ocean, except instead of water it was sickly blue, hissing bodies. Candy felt her muscles screaming in protest with each and every move she made, but she could not afford to give them a break. She glimpsed Kiri out of the corner of her eye staring at a vial with horrified eyes, but the next moment and pair of claws swiped at her out of nowhere and she was sent flying backwards, where she her back took the majority of impact as she collided into a tree.

"Ouch," Candy hissed through gritted teeth and prepared for the next assault.

Kiri hurried back to Odhu's side and nearly jumped in shock when he noticed that her skin was paling and beginning to turn blue. He did not know much about medicine, but he was pretty sure that was a bad sign.

"What do I do?" Kiri folded his hands behind his neck and tried his best to think through the cloud of panic.

There was only one option he could think of, but he was not sure how good of an idea it was.

* * *

><p>Candy yelped in pain as sharp claws raked her side. She felt a severe stinging sensation run from the bottom of her ribs to her hip, and felt the heat of fresh blood soaking into her clothes and plastering her skin. She winced and hunched over, favoring her injured side, which hampered her movements. She was starting to feel light headed and groggy, but she refused to give up the fight. She had to keep going, her work was not finished quite yet. But in the back of her mind, she knew she could not handle all of these monsters by herself. She would die.<p>

"Incoming!"

A green arrow shot past Candy's head so fast she felt the wind tug her forward with it, and she fought to keep her balance with what little strength she had left. The arrow dug deep into one of the monster's shoulders, and it screeched in pain and collapsed to the ground, where it lay still. Candy breathed a quiet sigh of relief and turned to look at the person that had appeared at her shoulder. Candy glimpsed at the sky blue dress and the pointed ears and the long bow clutched in the elf's hands. It was Art.

"What did I miss?" Art asked lightly and launched another volley of arrows into the crowd.

"Oh, you know," Candy said casually, "Nothing much."

Kiri was much too busy worrying about Odhu's fate to notice the new arrival in the fight against the hobgoblins. Instead, Kiri focused on steeling himself for his newly formulated plan. Kiri leaned close to Odhu and gently shook her shoulders.

"Odhu?" Kiri called out her name softly at first.

Odhu half moaned, half gurgled and ignored him.

"Fine, be that way," Kiri muttered.

Kiri really wished this was not the only way to save her, and he wished he knew this would work for sure, but he did not. He also knew that trying was the only way to save Odhu, and he refused to abandon her when he could have done something, anything, to help her, no matter how unlikely it was. And he was secretly looking forward to it too, but he would not admit that.

"Come on Odhu," Kiri whispered and leaned down so their lips were nearly touching, "Don't die on me."

Kiri closed the remaining distance between them so he brushed against Odhu's lips. They parted easily, but Kiri was alarmed at how cold they felt. With that in mind, he kissed Odhu, trying his best to suck out any poison in her mouth. He tasted something bitter slide down his tongue and into his throat, and when he was satisfied that he had been thorough enough, he softly pulled away. Odhu began to cough furiously as her normal skin tone flushed to her cheeks and eventually spread to the rest of her skin.

Art and Candy, meanwhile, were fending off all the monsters so effectively that they began to push them back and whittle away at their numbers. With the long range support of arrows, Candy was better able to deal with one target at a time, taking them out effectively instead of dealing with all of them at once, and they were already weakened from all the arrows that had pierced through their skin. However, it was not long before Art began to feel so confident with their progress that she lost her focus. She glanced over to find where Kiri was, since she had originally come to find him in the first place, when her mind froze and it felt like her heart stopped. There Kiri was, but Odhu was there too. And Kiri was kissing Odhu.

Candy noticed a monster out of the corner of her eye but assumed Art would shoot it down for her. It took her by surprise when, unexpectedly, that monster kept coming with no interruption and slammed into her side, sending her flying to the ground with a heavy thump and what would soon be a very large bruise on her side.

"Art!" Candy gasped to see what her partner was doing.

Candy spotted Art staring over at Kiri and Odhu. And then Candy noticed they were kissing. Something inside of Candy screamed out in frustration, but she attributed it to the searing pain coursing through her body and her high levels of adrenaline. Art, however, remained frozen, unlike Candy who scrambled to her feet to continue the fight and help Kiri.

Art just continued to stare until Kiri, after what felt like a lifetime that lasted far too long, finally pulled away. Something inside of Art felt like it was falling, falling endlessly into a complete and utter blackness that not a single speck of light could ever find its way in. She felt sick and heat flushed to her face. She felt betrayed, she felt used, and she felt humiliated. And she felt like for once in her life she wished she could go back in time and erase Kiri's existence from her memory. So, she thought, what better way to forget about him than to never see him again. And that meant she had to leave, right then and there. So, she dropped her bow, turned on her heels, and left.

Candy saw her go out of the corner of her eye, and something inside Candy began to deflate too. Mostly though, she felt incredulous. Art was just going to leave, just like that. Art did not realize, Candy thought furiously, that she was not only leaving Kiri and Odhu, but also herself. Candy fumed that Art could leave her to die at the hands of these monsters she had just seconds ago been helping to fight, all because she could not control her own emotions. If Candy had the option to go, she did not know if she would leave, but she did know that she had an obligation to stay and help those in need, and right now that was more important than her own petty feelings. So, she would fight on, and as the blood of a monster stained the clean grass red, Candy continued to fight.

Kiri, meanwhile, was having a hard time breathing. His chest felt like a two ton weight had been dropped on it and his throat felt like it was being crushed by a pair of invisible hands. Under the pressure he collapsed to the ground and tried to lay still. Something in his vision snapped and he began to develop tunnel vision. The blackness closed in from the corners of his vision until he could only see a single blade of grass in front of him. His skin began to crawl and he felt like he had been plunged into a basin full of ice.

"Kiri, you idiot!"

Kiri felt like he recognized that voice, but his mind was going numb and it was hard to concentrate on anything else besides the swirling red mist that seemed to wrap around him. He thought he heard a cackling voice whisper to him in his ear, but he could not make it out. Kiri saw a vision of a dark elf dressed in red, and it seemed vaguely familiar to him. She reached out her hand and Kiri felt his whole body crumple, as if he lost all control of himself. He felt his mind begin to blank.

"Kiri, Kiri!"

Odhu leaned in close to Kiri and tried to shake him out of his trance. His eyes were closed and his skin was turning a sickly blue. Odhu did not know what to do. For once, she could not think. She could not believe that Kiri had come to save her, after all she had done. She was not sure whether to be furious with him, or happy. Either way, he had gotten into trouble and she did not know how to save him.


	13. Chapter 13

Odhu slapped Kiri hard, right against his right cheek, but his head only flopped limply to the side.

"Kiri!" Odhu hissed loudly and slapped him again.

Clearly whatever she was trying to do was not working, but she could not think of a different plan of action and somehow it was better than nothing. Candy, meanwhile, heard the commotion Odhu was making and made to look over at the scene. At that moment, something heavy crashed into her side and sent her staggering, where she tripped over her already unsteady feet and fell. Her lungs shuddered to inhale and exhale steadily, and all her muscles were on fire. Gashes and cuts and bite marks covered her whole body and stung when the sharp, cool grass tickled against it. Somehow, though, Candy managed to lift her head and look over to Odhu and Kiri. Immediately she felt like throwing up.

Kiri looked like some hideous, grotesque combination of half human, half monster. Before Candy's own eyes, his ghastly blue skin seemed to bubble and change. His spine elongated and he seemed to grow larger and larger. In a moment of complete horror, Candy looked away and closed her eyes as tightly shut as possible. She wanted to block it out, all of it. She wanted to believe that this was not actually happening, that she could freeze time when she could not see anything and open them back up in paradise.

However, shutting her eyes could not close her ears, and while she tried to hide from the overwhelming horror of it all, she heard a terrible, gut wrenching ripping sound and a piercing howl that chilled her to the bone. A dull thump and vibrations on the ground next to her finally forced Candy to open her eyes again. When she did, she noticed the bruised and bleeding body of Odhu lying next to her, wincing as she tried to push herself up again.

"O-Odhu?" Candy gasped and tried to reach a hand out to touch the sorceress.

Odhu turned her head sharply and gazed down at Candy. Candy was surprised to see that Odhu's cheeks were glistening with suppressed tears and the adamant, cold eyes Candy had stared into the night before had broken and revealed something much softer and much weaker. It was something Candy would not have expected from the cold sorceress, but something Candy could easily identify within herself too. It was chilling to acknowledge.

It was fear.

"Odhu?" Candy mumbled again and managed to reach a trembling finger out to touch the sleeve of Odhu's clothes.

Odhu winced on reflex but did not move away. Odhu did not think she could move even if she tried. But then she heard another chilling howl and a shiver wracked her entire body. They were not safe, and this was not over. At least, she wished it was not over, but she could not find the strength within herself to continue fighting on. She was completely and entirely drained, and an eternal blackness grew at the edge of her vision, threatening to take over entirely.

"It's no use," Odhu almost chuckled as she admitted the truth to herself, "I always knew I was going to die doing this."

Candy blinked and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"I don't want to die," Candy whined, sounding like a rebellious child.

Odhu gave up on trying to push herself up and collapsed back onto the ground. She looked up at the gently swaying leaves, unable to ignore the sight of all the hobgoblins swarming around them, closing in and hissing and pushing against each other, their hideous, sickly blue skin shining with beads of sweat. She heard another piercing scream and she felt the ground trembling underneath her. Surely they were closing in, to sink their long, yellowing fangs into her skin. Another scream, and Odhu waited. Maybe they ate Candy first.

Meanwhile, Candy braced herself for the moment when the hobgoblins finished tearing Odhu to shreds and turned their attention to her. Those screams, they must be coming from Odhu, it was an unmistakable sound of a creature in pain. Candy willed herself not to scream.

"Ugly bastards," Candy heard someone next to her mutter.

The voice was only vaguely familiar. It was not Kiri, it was not Odhu, and it was not the mysterious red clad dark elf. Art had left, it was not her either. But Candy heard the unmistakable sound of someone notching an arrow and the twang as they let it fly. Candy managed to turn her head and stare at another elf, with glowing white hair hanging down over each shoulder. In an instant, the elf was gone, but Candy recognized her. It was Artemis.

Artemis took one glance at Candy and Odhu and knew they were in trouble. She had been looking for Kiri in the forest, when she spotted a familiar elf dashing through the trees in the opposite direction that Artemis was heading. Artemis found that suspicious, so she picked up the pace and ran towards where Art was fleeing from. When she found the clearing, she spotted the hordes of monsters and launched into action without thinking. She lashed forward with all the strength she had learned from years fighting the toughest of all the monsters in this world, and she did not relent. None of these mysterious new creatures could stand up to her flurry of kicks and arrows as she leapt and glided from target to target with ease. She'd dealt with much worse before, and all by herself, there was no reason she could not do it now, especially when there were others to protect.

"Candy! Odhu!" Artemis tried calling their names as she dispatched another group of defenseless monsters.

She glanced behind her and noticed the two of them stir ever so faintly, as if they were trying to pinpoint who was calling their names. Artemis wasted no time in clearing the rest of the monsters, and then she quickly rushed to Candy's side and knelt down.

"Candy! What happened?" Artemis rested a hand on Candy's shoulder to prevent her from moving too much so she would not injure herself any more than she already was.

Candy tried breathing in, and her chest shuddered with the uneven gasps. Artemis slid a hand under Candy's head to help Candy see her better. Candy blinked and Artemis was shocked to see how blank the eyes staring up at her were.

"Attacked," Candy stuttered out through strained breaths, "Kiri."

Artemis felt as if she was falling. She nearly let go of Candy's head and her heart beat quickened, racing faster than it had at any point during the fight.

"Kiri? What happened to Kiri?" Artemis demanded.

Candy tried to open her mouth again, but all that escaped was a faint sigh. Then, her head hung limp against Artemis's hand and she closed her eyes. Artemis laid Candy down on the ground again and checked her heartbeat. It was still there, pulsing stubbornly, refusing to give up on the person it kept alive. Artemis left Candy there for the moment and knelt next to Odhu.

Artemis was not sure how to feel towards Odhu. Last thing she knew, she and Art had worked together to stop this mad sorceress from killing Kiri, and they had nearly been too late that time. Artemis realized with a sickening feeling of guild that she had almost been too late this time as well. Was it really her fault that both of these times Kiri had suffered because of her?

"O-Odhu?" Artemis asked, staring into the half open eyes of the sorceress on the ground.

Odhu began to chuckle, but it quickly turned into a weak cough and Odhu winced. Artemis flinched and leaned away from Odhu, not sure how to react.

"Thanks," Odhu muttered and closed her eyes.

Artemis blinked and stared at Odhu.

"What?"

"Get us out of here," Odhu hissed through gritted teeth, keeping her eyes closed.

Artemis jumped at the sudden sound, thinking that Odhu had fallen unconscious like Candy.

"Right."

Artemis sighed and stood up. She stretched out her arms and legs and looked around at the now still field. It was stained with monsters' corpses and blood. It was hard to believe that it could ever have been empty. Artemis lifted her hands slightly and looked down at them. They were shaking. That had not happened to her since she had been nothing more than an inexperienced, foolish beginner. What was happening to her?

A better question, she thought bitterly, was what had happened to Kiri.


	14. Chapter 14

To Odhu, waking up felt like dragging her whole body out of an endlessly deep pit of quicksand, only to find the top frozen over with a foot thick layer of ice that she had to break through. When she finally did open her eyes, she still felt exhausted. She immediately considered going right back to sleep. Then, there was movement within the depths of the room she was in.

Odhu managed to keep her eyes open, to her surprise, and spotted that head of glowing white hair. Artemis approached Odhu's bedside delicately, maintaining complete eye contact with Odhu the whole time, which Odhu refused to do anything but return it back with the same fire as usual.

"How are you feeling?" Odhu was startled by how gentle Artemis sounded, and it even seemed genuine.

Odhu scowled at the very thought and spat out, "Horrible."

Artemis closed her eyes and bowed her head. Odhu kept the best glare she could manage on her. She could not trust this archer. She would not trust her. She could only trust herself.

"What happened?" Artemis asked softly.

Odhu continued to glare at her. The silence in the room was thick with an almost undetectable energy, but Odhu felt that giving in would harm her somehow. Artemis just stood there, and Odhu just glared.

Then, Artemis opened her eyes and glared so intensely at Odhu that it felt like her heart froze for a moment, "You are going to tell me what happened."

Odhu tried to refuse, the words were on the tip of her tongue, but the tone of Artemis's voice shook her up. It was so fierce, but there was something Odhu could notice, something Artemis was trying to conceal. Something broken lay behind the tough exterior. Odhu knew it was there, she could feel it, just as she could feel it within herself.

"Fine," Odhu sighed and gave in, "I followed them."

Artemis's gaze softened and she listening with her long, elven ears slightly pricked.

"I followed Kiri and Candy into the forest," Odhu said steadily, "And I tried to kill him."

"I see," Artemis whispered, "And what went wrong?"

"Everything," Odhu replied, a far off look glazing over her eyes.

* * *

><p>Candy stared at the ceiling. There were a couple cracks in the wooden beams and she followed their path all the way down to where the beams met the wall. A slight flaw in the structure of the building, Candy thought, but it could get worse.<p>

She glanced down at her left arm, which was resting on top of the covers, and traced the path of a large scratch. It curved like the same shape as the crack in the wooden beam. A slight flaw on her body, Candy thought, but it was definitely getting worse.

The sound of the door creaking open stirred Candy out of her dark thoughts, and she found herself staring in stunned awe at the glowing white hair of Artemis. She could not help it, that hair had been the first thing she saw when her life was saved. It was safety to her. It made her feel at ease.

"How are you feeling, Candy?"

Candy was silent for a very long time. Artemis approached the foot of the bed and sat down as delicately as possible, crossing her legs and smiling encouragingly up at Candy.

"Honestly, it could be a lot better," Candy confessed and tried her best to return Artemis's smile. Unfortunately, it was more sad and brooding that anything else.

Artemis's own smile slowly faded off her face.

"I wish you had been there from the start, Artemis," Candy spoke suddenly, "Then I never would have found out how incapable I am."

Artemis blinked and could not think of the words to say.

"I thought Kiri would enjoy the escape from everything," Candy sighed, "I really just wanted him to be happy because of me, but I should have known I couldn't have the ability to help him."

Artemis clenched her fists just hearing the words Candy was speaking. It was not that she was ashamed of Candy, but it was not like she agreed with Candy either. She could not find the right words to console Candy when she could so easily tell how broken Candy felt inside.

"Candy..."

"You should have seen it Artemis," Candy almost sounded as if she was laughing at herself, "It was a nightmare. There were so many, I could hardly do anything."

"Well," Artemis tried to protest, "It was only you against a whole army of those things."

Candy laughed, "Isn't that what you were doing when you saved us?"

Artemis flinched and she felt like she was cornered.

"Well," Artemis tried to find an explanation, "I've had a lot more fighting experience than you, and it's my job to kill monsters for a living."

Candy sighed, "I guess that has some merit to it. I still can't believe what happened."

"Hey," Artemis tried to sound optimistic even though her mind was still racing with thoughts of Kiri, "You held out much longer than a lot of other people I know, just you against all those weird creatures."

Candy looked like she wanted to say something, but she was struggling with whether or not she should mention it. Artemis waited patiently, giving Candy the time to think.

"Artemis," Candy muttered as if she did not anyone else to hear, even though there was no one else there with them, "I saw Art there too."

Artemis paused with her mouth slightly open as she remembered seeing the youthful elf dashing away through the trees. She had suspected Art of something then, but now she was even more uneasy about it.

"What happened?" Artemis demanded nervously, staring intensely at Candy, who began to shift uncomfortably under such a firm gaze.

"Well," Candy tried to find the right words because she was afraid of what Artemis was capable of with such an intense stare, "I was trying to fight off the strange monsters, and there were so many of them, and was getting completely destroyed and-"

Candy winced and had to stop to take a breath of air. Artemis still stared at her so intensely that Candy thought she may just catch on fire, so she continued on, hoping that giving Artemis the answers would calm her down a bit.

"Well, all of a sudden an arrow just flew out of nowhere and Art just appeared from the trees like some kind of ghost. I was so relieved, you have no idea, and while we fought together I thought we might actually win," Candy remembered the recent events wistfully.

Artemis just jerked her head slightly, as if she was trying to nod but could not make herself do so completely.

"Anyways," Candy moved on thoughtfully, "We were fighting, but I was not really sure what Kiri was up to. I looked over and saw-"

Candy paused and a concerned look flashed in her eyes. She shifted her gaze away.

"What did you see Candy?" Artemis sounded like she was on the verge of losing her own composure.

Candy, who did not really feel like telling Artemis what she saw, looked away in the hopes that not meeting Artemis's intense gaze might spare her somehow from having to answer to Artemis.

"Candy," Artemis pressed with a firm tone, "What did you see?"

Candy gulped and tried to meet Artemis's gaze, but every time she did, she felt like Artemis was trying to set her on fire.

"Well," Candy finally managed to look Artemis right in the eye, "I saw Odhu kissing Kiri."

There was an unmistakable sound in the room at that moment. It was the sound of silence. But Candy could tell there was a flurry of thoughts swarming around inside Artemis's head, no matter how calm she tried to look on the outside. To be honest, Candy was a little worried that Artemis might crack. Sure, she seemed calm and mature and responsible most of the time, but Candy was sure that behaving that way all the time must do something unhealthy to someone's mind. It just did not seem natural to Candy.

"I see."

"Artemis...?"

"Odhu," Artemis mumbled, "Forgot to mention that part."

"What?" Candy tilted her head slightly to one side.

"Do you know... why?" Artemis asked, still with that eerily calm voice.

"No," Candy told her truthfully.

"Well," Artemis huffed and stood up, "I think I'll leave now."

"Artemis...?"

Artemis glanced back at Candy and managed to put on a wide, sincere smile, "I hope you feel better soon, Candy."

With that, Artemis hurried out the door. Candy watched her go with a mixture of pity and confusion brewing in her stomach.

"Right," Candy muttered to herself, too quiet for Artemis to hear.

Artemis, meanwhile, had to take a deep breath to fully calm herself. Odhu had kissed Kiri. That must have been why Art had left. She must have seen, and Artemis just knew that Art was too childish to deal with it in any responsible way but to run away like a complete child. Artemis did not know what to think of Odhu, though of course most of her thoughts were not positive, but Artemis did know what to think of Art. Even if that ignorant elf had been heartbroken, she had left three people to die at the hands of some horrible monsters, all because she could not control herself. Artemis was more furious with Art than anything. Maybe if Art had not left, if Art had helped Candy fight off the monsters, then Kiri would not be gone now. Now, she did not know where Kiri was, or even if he was alive. It was really a horrible feeling, but Artemis did not know how to change it.

"What am I supposed to do now," Artemis whispered under her breath, feeling her lips tremble with suppressed emotion.

Her eyes were starting to burn up and she could feel the pressure building behind them. She laughed at herself. She was acting like a child. Maybe she really was no better than Art.


	15. Chapter 15

Art sulked towards the outskirts of Carderock Pass in a very bad mood. She still could not get that heart wrenching image out of her head, and it replayed over and over again as if it was torturing her on purpose. She could see it so clearly, and each time her heart sank deeper and deeper into a black abyss of betrayal. She was not sure what to make of it. She had seen Odhu kiss Kiri, but she could not understand why it had happened. She remembered that Odhu had tried to kill Kiri, that she and Artemis had saved Kiri, and that when she went to talk to him when he woke up from the brink of death, they had established some sort of relationship. But then he went missing, and now this. Her mind was too confused to understand. She felt empty.

Before she could notice much else, she realized she was in the very center of Carderock Pass, by the fountain, and that she was on the brink of tears. Looking around in a startled shyness, she tried to find an easy route to escape from without anyone noticing her in her shaken state. When she was looking around, though, she spotted a horribly familiar sight, and in her current mood it only made her feel worse.

Artemis was leaning against a cool stone wall in the shade of a towering building. Her chin was tilted up so her eyes could gaze at the expansive sky above them, and Artemis's eyes had a far off look to them. At first glance, Art would describe Artemis's behavior as sad. Mostly because she felt like doing that herself at the moment. But Art could not fathom why Artemis would look as sad as Art felt. It went against all her instincts, but Art decided to approach her fellow elven archer.

"Artemis?" Art called out nervously, in a quiet voice.

Art watched as Artemis's whole body tensed up. Her eyes immediately dropped their gaze at the sky and focused themselves entirely on Art. Art squirmed under the sudden attention and summoned all her willpower to make sure she would not break down and cry, especially considering the other person she was with. Artemis glared at her like that for some time without saying anything, which worried Art even more.

"Are you ok?" Art asked politely.

"No."

Art was taken aback by the blunt answer Artemis gave her. For some reason, Art felt as if Artemis's gaze intensified, and that she was the target of that quiet rage in her look.

"What's wrong?" Art decided to try and be helpful.

In truth, Art was starting to bristle in annoyance. First of all, she had never liked Artemis. Secondly, she had her own problems to deal with now, and if anything, she was the one that could use some comforting. It seemed almost unfair to Art, but under that stare she felt that doing anything but offering some comfort might lead to a very bad situation.

Artemis drew herself up taller and walked closer to Art.

"I think you of all people should know," Artemis hissed, barely managing to keep her voice down.

Art blinked and her mind began to race. Artemis was surely accusing her of something, she was sure of it.

"What are you talking about?" Art decided to play clueless.

"You know what I mean," Artemis snapped, "I saw you running away from all those monsters in the forest. I know what happened."

It felt like the wind was knocked out of Art. Artemis knew, she knew and she was angry at Art.

Art barely managed to contain her rage as she retorted back, "Then you know why I'm upset."

"Clearly," Artemis shot back, "It isn't difficult to understand such a childish act."

"Why are you mad at me?" Art asked furiously, "If anything, both of us should be mad at Odhu!"

Artemis took a deep breath and whispered in the most venomous voice she could manage, "Because you left them to die."

With that, Artemis spun around and stalked off. Art stood in stunned silence as she watched Artemis leave with such a dignified posture. Meanwhile, her own legs felt like jelly and it was all she could do to keep her mind from spiraling further into the darkest depths. She left them to die. Does that mean Candy and Odhu were dead? Art's blood turned to ice and she felt so dizzy she almost collapsed. Kiri was there too. She left without knowing what happened, and there were still so many monsters. Did Kiri die? Art felt her breaths come short and shallow, and answers were the only thing on her mind now. She sprinted as fast as she could to catch up to Artemis and grabbed the other elf by the arm.

"Artemis," Art spoke firmly, "What happened?"

Artemis turned around with a look so full of disdain it nearly ruined Art.

"Why don't we find out then?"

* * *

><p>Art stood as still as a statue in the same room as Artemis, Odhu, and Candy. She shifted her gaze nervously from one person to the next, holding their stares for only a brief moment before darting her eyes away. The shame in her stomach was burning and she felt slightly sick, but she noticed that one person was missing from the group. Kiri. She did not see Kiri. Where was he? Was he ok? Was it her fault if he was not?<p>

"Art," Candy decided to break the silence, "Why did you leave?"

Art's mouth hung open and she could not find the words. She asked herself the same question and found that she could not come up with an answer. Instead, her eyes burned and she allowed herself this one moment to show some weakness. She let the tears start to fall, and this startled Candy. Odhu and Artemis watched on with blank expressions on their faces.

"I'm sorry Candy," Art gasped between sobs, "I should never have left. It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

Candy listened to Art's broken apology in silence. When she was finished speaking, the only sound in the room was the random gasps of air from Art, which Candy felt a twinge of pity for. Still, Odhu and Artemis showed no signs of relenting.

Candy slid out of bed and limped over to Art with whatever strength she could muster. Art stood there and did not make any protests when Candy, who was much shorter than Art, wrapped her arms around Art and hugged her.

"I forgive you."

Art was not sure what to say. If anything, she felt like denying it. How could anyone forgive her if she could not even forgive herself? It was her fault, she came to acknowledge that, and she would not blame others if they hated her for it. In fact, it seemed like Odhu and Artemis already did blame her. She felt hurt by that, but she could not deny they had that right, and to be honest she did not like them anyways. Why should she care what they think of her? The only person that really truly mattered right now was Kiri. How would he react when he knew it was her fault? Was he dead already? Could she ever be forgiven by him now?

"Guys," Art sighed and tried to collect herself, "What happened to Kiri?"

Artemis and Odhu exchanged a silent glance and then Artemis nodded her head. Odhu then looked away from Artemis and shifted her gaze to Art. And then she spoke.

"Kiri was mutated into what we call a hobgoblin," Odhu informed them, "They are a new creature created by the elf in red you saw. Her name is Elena, and her goal is to build an entire army of these creatures so she could eventually destroy Carderock Pass. Not only is she creating these monsters, she's developing enough poison to completely submerge Carderock."

Art and Candy stared in shock at Odhu. Artemis sighed and took a step forward, as it seemed that Odhu had finished speaking.

"Clearly," Artemis spoke steadily and with a strong resolve in her voice, "We have a problem here. Not only do we have to find a way to help Kiri, we have a whole town that needs saving too."

"Wait hold on," Candy interrupted nervously, "What are you suggesting?"

Art agreed with Candy, "Yeah, it sounds like you have a plan for us."

Artemis rolled her eyes at the two of them, "Of course."

"Wait, what makes you think we can do anything?" Art asked in surprise.

Artemis huffed a sigh of frustration, "Because we know what's going on and we have an obligation to stop this from happening."

Odhu remained silent throughout this exchange. Art still looked extremely skeptical, but there was a new resolve gleaming in Candy's eyes and she looked from one person to the next with a burning energy. When she laid eyes on Art, who seemed the most hesitant of them all, she smiled sadly.

"Art," Candy urged her, "If you won't do this for anything else, at least do it so we can save Kiri."

Art stared at Candy and seemed to want to say something.

"Look," Art confessed, "It isn't like I don't want to help. I just don't see what good I'd be if I did help."

Artemis shook her head and walked over so she stood directly in front of Art. She glared at Art again and Art began to feel that boiling shame in her gut.

"You're probably too inexperienced to understand this," Artemis said plainly, "But in any fight, no matter how skilled you are, everyone counts. Everyone can do something, anything, even if it's not enough to do everything by yourself. You work in a team so you can do things one person can't."

Art stared at Artemis and felt like she was a little child again, being lectured about morals by adults who seemed infinitely wiser than herself.

"Ok," Artemis declared, "We have two things to do before this can be over."

Candy, Odhu, and Art all stared at Artemis, who immediately picked up the role as leader of their small operation.

"First, we need to find Kiri. There's a good chance that if he turned into a hobgoblin we can also find Elena, so we can accomplish two things here. If we can find Elena, we can also put a stop to her plans. And second, we need to find out a cure for this poison."

"Sounds good to me," Candy rubbed her hands together and grinned evilly.

"Odhu, since you know the most about this poison, and since you seem to know a lot about chemicals Candy, I'm going to trust you two to find out a cure," Artemis decided.

Odhu and Candy glanced over at each other hesitantly and then nodded without saying another word.

"Art, you'll come with me to find Kiri and Elena. There's a strong possibility of a lot of combat, so I need you to be ready for this, I may not be able to handle it myself," Artemis continued.

Art's breath caught in her chest at the thought of having to be alone with Artemis of all people, looking for Kiri, of all people. Of course, there was not a better way for her to help, and she knew she had to do this. However, that did not mean she was particularly happy about it.

"Good luck to all of you," Artemis smiled and started to head out the door.

Art stood there. Good luck was one thing, but this was on an entirely different level than anything she had ever done before. She worried that perhaps she just was not cut out for this kind of thing. I mean, she could hardly handle her emotions enough to stay and fight, let alone work alongside these people and save an entire town. She wondered if she should really be trusted with such a task. Was she even happy about it?

"Um, Art," Candy interrupted her thoughts, "Shouldn't you be going with Artemis?"

Art blinked in surprise and turned all the way around to find that Artemis was indeed missing.

"Oh, right!"

Art sprinted out of the room and out of the building. She squinted her eyes slightly at the bright sunlight outside and immediately spotted Artemis talking with May on the other side of the fountain. Art hurried over and approached the two with caution. She knew what May was capable of.

"Wow, it's so good to see you again Artemis!" May chirped and swished the skirt of her dress around.

Artemis smiled, "Nice to see you too, May."

"Wow, look at all that fancy equipment you have now, I remember when you were just a little novice archer, Deckard and everyone all placed bets on whether you'd make it a whole week without being eaten. I think Adeline was the only one that said you would make it, and maybe that's just because you were a fellow elf like her. Either way, we're all so proud of you!" May rambled on with a thoughtful expression, and all the while Artemis just stood there with a pleasant smile.

Art stared incredulously at Artemis and May. How could anyone survive a conversation with May like that? Not to mention that May's entire nostalgic rant was basically an insult to Artemis's capabilities. If it were Art talking to May, she may just walk away, or at least snap at May. Perhaps that was another difference between her and Artemis.

"Thanks May," Artemis finally spoke, "I did kind of miss this place, and it's a lot nicer and more peaceful here. But I'm not here to talk, I have things to do. I was wondering if I could buy a couple things."

"Of course!" May sang joyfully, "Let me show you what we have! Oh, we got a new order of bags here, would you like to take a look?"

Art decided it was best not to get involved with this, so she left. She checked that she had plenty of arrows to last her through an entire war with these hobgoblins, and that all her equipment was durable enough to last. When she was sure that she was ready to go, she spotted Artemis waving to May and approaching her.

"Ready to go?" Artemis asked her as if nothing had happened.

"Y-yeah," Art nodded.

Together, they left Carderock Pass, back towards the forest they had originally lost Kiri at. Art glanced behind her and spotted the walls of the town. An image of these walls eroding away into nothing as that terrible poison engulfed the town haunted Art's thoughts, and for the first time she felt that tug of determination inside of her. She told herself she could do this, that she would do this, that everything would be fine, and at the end of it, she could explain everything to Kiri and he would forgive her and they could move on to a better time together.


	16. Chapter 16

Candy and Odhu sat there long after Art had ran out, leaving just the two of them alone. Odhu remained deathly silent, and Candy squirmed in her seat as she remembered how she had stared Odhu in the eye and tried to protect Kiri. It was odd, how the same person who had tried to kill them would now be working to help save him. Candy wondered if maybe Odhu was just doing it so that she would be the one to kill Kiri in the end, not Elena and her strange poison. Or maybe Odhu had miraculous change in heart. Candy was apprehensive either way.

"Um, Odhu," Candy started quietly, "Do you know how we're supposed to find a cure?"

Odhu remained silent for a brief moment, then spoke in an equally quiet voice.

"No."

Candy gulped, "Then- Then what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Odhu shrugged.

Candy resisted the urge to let her temper get the better of her. Odhu was being too careless for her taste, but could she really blame Odhu for it? She was being honest after all. Candy did not really know what to expect from Odhu, which to be honest frustrated her more than Odhu herself.

Candy hummed to herself, "Do you think there's like, a recipe or something?"

"A recipe?" Odhu sounded doubtful.

"Yeah, you know," Candy began to sound a little more hopeful, "Like a creepy, ancient tome of magical recipes that can save lives?"

Odhu rolled her eyes, "And where do you expect to find this creepy, ancient tome?"

Candy seriously considered the question. She had no clue where to start, or even if the ancient tome would be in the right language. She thought about if she knew anyone that knew a lot about old books and ancient magic, and then she came to a realization.

"Let's ask Bailey about it!" Candy jumped up from the excitement of coming up with a plan.

"Bailey?" Odhu still sounded very doubtful.

"Yeah," Candy nodded, "He's a crest scholar genius guy, he might know something!"

With that, Candy sprinted out the door to go talk to Bailey.

Odhu heaved a sigh that Candy was too far gone to hear, "Whatever."

Odhu slowly made her way outside to find Candy already dashing across the bridge. Odhu watched as the short girl pelted up to Bailey, who was reading some large, heavy book, and startled him half to death. The book went flying and landed with an audible thump on Deckard's head. Deckard collapsed to the ground with a grunt as the book slid off from atop his head. Bailey watched in alarm as Candy started to giggle uncontrollably. By the time Deckard had recovered from his spinning head and Bailey had managed to retrieve the book without getting maimed by Deckard, Odhu had arrived next to Candy, who was waiting patiently for when Bailey was ready to talk.

"Hello Bailey," Candy smiled innocently.

Bailey looked apprehensive about speaking with Candy, a feeling Odhu could not help but sympathize with. Candy had, after all, charged in and caused a world of chaos within the time span of a few seconds.

"Can I help you with something?" Bailey asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"There is, actually," Candy bounced on the balls of her feet and stared up at Bailey with a look Odhu could only identify as a mix of excitement and evil.

"And what is that?" Bailey wondered.

"Well," Candy said, "Odhu and I are looking for a cure for being turned into a monster."

"A... monster?" Bailey did not seem to believe Candy.

"Yeah, a hobgoblin!" Candy exclaimed.

Bailey stared at Candy for a moment with a blank look on his face. Candy did not seem to notice and stared back with gleaming eyes. Odhu, however, noted the low rumble of a chuckle building in Bailey's throat. Soon enough, as Odhu had predicted, Bailey erupted into a small fit of laughter.

"You had me for a second, Candy," Bailey chuckled and wiped a tear from the corner of is eye.

"Wait, what?" Candy did not understand what was so funny.

Bailey managed to regain control of himself and answered, "I thought you were being serious for a second."

Candy blinked.

"Wait," She was starting to sound annoyed, "I am serious!"

"Very funny, Candy," Bailey patted her on the head.

Bailey seemed like he would not believe Candy no matter what. Candy did not know what to say to convince him she was being honest. That was when Odhu stepped forward.

"Bailey," Odhu addressed him casually, "Do you know where we might find a tome of the ancients?"

Bailey turned to look at Odhu with a serious look on his face.

"Why are you asking?" He questioned Odhu.

"We need to find it," Odhu replied vaguely.

Bailey narrowed his eyes, "I see. What kind of tome are you looking for?"

"Medicinal," Odhu replied as quickly as Bailey had asked.

Bailey nodded his head and hummed. He held his chin in his hand for a second and pondered.

"Well," Bailey finally spoke, "Most of the tomes of the ancients have been missing for centuries. However, there is one place you may be able to look. I suggest you go and look in the Silent Cloister."

"The Silent Cloister?" Candy interrupted their conversation.

"Thank you, Bailey," Odhu nodded her head and grabbed Candy by the back of the collar.

Odhu dragged Candy off with Bailey watching in confused silence. Candy struggled and squirmed to escape Odhu's grasp, but it was no use. Odhu continued to drag Candy along until they reached the Crystal Stream.

"Odhu, where are we going?" Candy whined and asked.

"We're going to the Silent Cloister, what do you think," Odhu answered sharply.

Candy managed to pull free from Odhu's loosened grip and she stumbled away. She rubbed her neck for a moment and looking the direction Odhu had started walking in. Candy was not sure going off alone with her was a good idea, considering that this was the same kind of situation Kiri was nearly killed in. It was highly suspicious, Candy decided. But then again, when would she have another chance like this. Candy smiled ever so slightly and laughed to herself under her breath. Then, she skipped off to follow Odhu.

"So, Odhu," Candy said when she had caught up to the sorceress, "How are you on this lovely day?"

Odhu glanced down at Candy with a cold expression and did not answer. Candy kept a smile plastered on her face.

"Are you excited to go to the Silent Cloister?" Candy persisted.

Once again, she did not receive much more than a glare from Odhu. However, Candy refused to let that bother her. She wanted to start some sort of conversation.

"Have you been there before?"

Odhu once again looked at Candy, but this time, the expression on her face softened. There seemed to be something on her mind.

"Come on," Candy urged, "Tell me. Tell me. Tell me."

Candy slid closer to Odhu and prodded her in the side. Odhu yelped in surprise and jumped away.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you!" Odhu finally exclaimed, making the smile on Candy's face grow wider.

"Yay!" Candy chirped.

Odhu glared at her once more, "Just don't poke me ever again."

"Roger," Candy said, raising her hand in a mock salute.

"I've been there once before," Odhu told Candy, "Last time I was there, I was ambushed by a giant ogre. I tried to fight it off, but I wasn't able to back then, all by myself. Next thing I knew, it knocked me to the ground and a strange dark elf dressed all in red appeared."

"Elena?" Candy interrupted Odhu's story to ask.

"I'm getting to it," Odhu hissed, "Anyways, I thought I was going to be killed that day. You never run into suspicious dark elves in a dungeon if they have any good intentions. However, Elena merely made me an offer. So, I took it."

"What was that offer?" Candy asked out of curiosity.

Odhu sighed, "Something I could not refuse."

Odhu did not seem to want to continue talking about her story, and Candy had just about enough sense to stop asking.

When Candy and Odhu arrived at the front of the Silent Cloister entrance, Candy felt a shiver creep down her spine. Odhu descended the steps and passed through the door without a problem, but Candy remained firmly planted outside, where she could see the sunlight. Candy began to think about how nice the sunlight was. She liked being able to see it, to feel the warmth on her skin. She would rather not be murdered by Odhu in the depths of some creepy dungeon. Candy preferred to remain alive.

"Are you coming?" Candy heard Odhu's voice echo back through the door and up to her.

Candy tried to laugh to shake it off, but that apprehensive feeling remained in her gut. For now, she thought, she would just have to keep her guard up, and whatever she did, she should not trust Odhu with anything more than walking in front of her and talking.

"Coming!" Candy called back, and then she descended the steps as well.

Odhu was standing there, just inside the entrance, with on hand on her hips. When Candy made it down, Odhu turned around sharply and began to walk down the dark corridor that led inside.

"Hey Odhu," Candy said, careful to follow at a safe distance behind, "Isn't the Cloister a sacred place for clerics?"

"Yes," Odhu confirmed.

"So," Candy continued, "Why are we, a sorceress especially, allowed to go inside and rummage around for a book?"

Odhu paused in her tracked for a moment.

"Because the clerics had to abandon this place a while ago."

Candy started to get that familiar sensation of curiosity again, "Why?"

"Things happened here that they could not control," Odhu replied vaguely.

Candy was once again itching with annoyance. Odhu was always being so vague and mysterious, she could never get any real answers or explanations out of her. For once, Candy would like it if Odhu would just lower her guard a bit. It would actually make Odhu a trustworthy person for once. Not to mention people might actually like Odhu if she was willing to talk to them. It was getting exhausting for Candy to have to think of all the conversation topics, not like she could really call these exchanges of words conversations.

"Hey Candy," Odhu spoke all of a sudden, in a tone very new to Odhu, "You don't trust me, do you."

Candy was taken aback by Odhu's accurate statement. It was very true that Candy did not trust Odhu. However, Candy did not want to tell Odhu that.

"What? No! Why would you think that?" Candy Immediately tried to laugh off the accusation.

Odhu sighed, "Because it's happened too many times before. You don't have to lie."

"What do you mean?" Candy could not really see a way out of being honest with Odhu.

"I would not trust myself either, if I was in your position," Odhu explained.

"Oh," Was all Candy could manage to say.

"Still," Odhu said thoughtfully, "Thanks for not immediately refusing to work with me."

"You're welcome?" Candy was not sure why Odhu was thanking her for something like that.

"I really-"

Odhu stopped herself mid-sentence and did not seem to want to finish the thought. Candy crept up and prodded Odhu in the side, making her jump again, but this time, Odhu did not snap at Candy for doing it.

"I really want to help," Odhu admitted.

Candy blinked as Odhu picked up the pace and hurried further down the corridor.

Odhu spotted a dim light glowing from the room around the corner up ahead. It was strange, she thought, because when she was here last it was pitch black in every inch of the Cloister. The only explanation she could find was that someone else was in here, and they had brought a light with them. Odhu felt her stomach begin to flip in panic, because there were not many people that came here for a good purpose. She hoped it was not who she thought it was, because then they really would have no way of saving Kiri.

"Candy," Odhu hissed over her shoulder, "Be quiet."

Candy came screeching to a halt as Odhu froze in her tracks. Odhu peeked around the wall and into the room to see who was there. What she saw made her heart stop. All she could see was an outfit that looked like a robe, colored bright red. The person was standing there with a small lantern on the floor, which casted their warped shadow onto the wall closest to them. Bookshelves lined the other walls, but they were worn and many of the books were severely tattered. The person in red seemed to be holding a book in their hands. Odhu began to worry even more. This was not good. Red could only mean one thing, and that thing was Elena.

"This is bad," Odhu muttered to Candy, "That person must be working with Elena."

"Wha- Really?" Candy sounded very concerned.

"Yes," Odhu confirmed.

There was only one way she could think of to stop this person, but it was probably a terrible idea considering it was just her and Candy.

"We're going to have to fight her, aren't we?" Candy asked.

Odhu was shocked. Candy had stolen the words right out of her mouth.

"This is a terrible idea," Candy said, surprising Odhu even more, "But I guess it has to be done."

"Right," Odhu slowly agreed.

Candy grinned evilly and glanced at Odhu, "Well, I trust you to have my back."

With that, Candy pulled out a strange weapon that seemed to fire bubbles and sprinted into the room. Odhu hung back for a second, thinking about what Candy had said. She trusted Odhu. It was something Odhu had not heard someone tell her in a very long time. She had come to think that no one trusted her anymore. If Odhu was not doing this for Kiri, at least she would do this for Candy, because she did not want to lose the one person who trusted her now.

"Stop!" Candy shouted at the person dressed in red.

Odhu drew her staff and ran out to stand next to Candy. The person holding the book slammed it closed, with their back still facing Odhu and Candy, and Odhu shivered as that person began to chuckle.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Candy asked as bravely as she could manage.

The person stopped laughing, but their shadow continued to dance with the flame from the lantern as if it was watching the confrontation with great amusement.

"Well, well," The person in red spoke with the purring voice of a woman, "What do we have here?"

The woman turned around to reveal a pale white face framed by locks of long, glowing white hair. Her red hood was up, and it contrasted with her white hair. She wore tall black boots, with heels that made her seem much taller. Candy and Odhu stood their ground as the woman faced them with no hint of amusement in her smile or her eyes.

"Put that book down!" Candy demanded.

The woman glanced down at the book, but did not let go. Odhu gritted her teeth. She had a distinctly bad feeling about this woman, either because of the look in her eye, the fact she was not listening to a word Candy said, or simply because she was dressed in red. She had white hair but pale skin, so she could not be a dark elf like Elena, but the theme of red was unmistakable.

"Who are you?" Odhu asked, echoing Candy's previous line of questioning.

"None of your business, humans," The woman spoke with a hint of irritation.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Candy sounded greatly offended.

Odhu willed Candy to try and keep her cool. She had a feeling this was an opponent they could not face, and she did not want to anger the woman more than she already was. Still, they needed that book. Odhu looked around, but the only book worthy of being called a tome of the ancients was the one held in the woman's hand. If anything, they needed that one book. How were they going to get it? Odhu could not think of a way, but they had to at least try. They needed that book.

"Candy," Odhu whispered, her voice almost drowned out by her own breath, "We need to get that book in her hands."

"Got it," Candy whispered back.

The woman pulled her hood down and considered the two people in front of her.

"This should be easy," The woman said dismissively.

Odhu and Candy attacked at the same time. Candy summoned what appeared to be a small, white slime creature with little wings. Odhu chanted under her breath and used all of her strength to summon a large black hole in the middle of the room. The woman merely dodged to the side with such incredible speed that both Odhu and Candy could not follow her movements. Odhu, sensing that the woman would try and attack right away, summoned a pentagram in front of her and disappeared into thin air. Just as she predicted, the woman appeared right where Odhu had been standing a second ago. Odhu manipulated the fabric of space to turn herself around, then gathered an aura of dark energy around her, which she blasted outwards as she landed. It landed a direct hit on the woman, but it barely staggered her. Candy, who noticed that Odhu was distracting the woman, aimed her bubble blaster and shot a large, blue bubble out of it, which was meant to immobilize any target it engulfed. The woman turned her head sharply, spotted the bubble, and jumped away. She flew up to the ceiling, then used her legs to launch down towards Candy. With a well aimed kick, the woman hit Candy directly in the chest and sent her flying into one of the bookshelves, which toppled over, hundreds of shredded pages fluttering down to cover Candy's still body.

"Candy!" Odhu shouted, hoping to rouse Candy back into action.

Unfortunately, there was no response from Candy. Odhu watched as Candy remained unmoving, but a sudden kick from the woman in red jolted her attention back to the dangerous situation she was in.

"Who are you?" Odhu growled as she dodged to the side just in time.

The woman chose not to respond, and instead elected to try and kick Odhu again. This time, though, Odhu was ready. By bending time, Odhu was able to freeze the woman in her tracks for a few seconds. The woman froze in the middle of her kick and stared at Odhu.

"Answer me!" Odhu demanded.

"You don't need to know," The woman growled back.

Odhu was going to take the few seconds to take a break, but suddenly, the woman was free. No one had ever been able to escape Odhu's time stop spell that quickly, and Odhu was caught completely off guard. The woman kneed Odhu in the stomach, forcing Odhu to fall to her knees, winded. Then, the woman grabbed Odhu by the shoulders and sent her flying. Odhu landed with a crash on top of the broken wreckage of the bookshelf Candy lay in. Odhu looked over and saw a large cut that covered Candy's forehead. Blood dripped down past her cheeks.

"Candy," Odhu groaned and managed to lift an arm to hit Candy.

Candy's eyes flew open and she looked around wildly. When her mind finally seemed to catch up, Candy immediately tried to push herself up. However, before she could even lift her head all the way up, the woman came over and rested a foot on top of Candy, effectively pinning her down. Odhu was too injured to do much more than watch.

"EW, get your foot off me!" Candy protested weakly.

"What are you doing here?" The woman asked.

"Forget it," Odhu spat before Candy could retort, "Give us that book!"

The woman looked down at the book she still held in her hands. She flipped through a couple pages with a nonchalant hum and then closed the book again.

"Sorry kid," The woman said, "But I need this book."

"We do too!" Candy cried out in desperation.

The woman considered the two of them with disdain.

"For what? You want to use it to gain the power of the ancients or something. You humans never learn," The woman insulted them.

"No, you're wrong," Odhu replied calmly, "We need it to save our friend. He's very important to us, and that book is the only way we can find a cure for him."

"Cure for what?" The woman asked doubtfully.

"He was turned into a hobgoblin," Candy squeaked.

The woman froze.

"That book has the cure, I know it does," Odhu persisted.

"A... hobgoblin?" The woman asked in shock.

Odhu could see that the woman was thinking very hard about something. Odhu did not care what, but they needed that book desperately.

"I see," The woman mumbled under her breath, mostly to herself.

Odhu and Candy looked sideways at each other and exchanged worried glances. They did not know who this woman was, or what she was doing here, but the fact that she had beaten them both to a pulp without getting even a scratch was enough of a sign to them that they were effectively useless in this situation. Suddenly, the woman removed her foot from on top of Candy and held out her hands. She whispered something under her breath and glowing blue wisps extended from her hands to envelop Candy and Odhu. Odhu felt her strength returning to her as some of her more serious cuts began to heal before her eyes. She looked over as the gash on Candy's forehead began to seal before her eyes. The woman then offered her hand out to Candy, who reached out reluctantly to take it. The woman helped her sit up, and then offered her hand out to Odhu. Odhu, however, merely glared at the woman and sat up herself. Odhu detected the faintest trace of a smile on the woman's countenance, but she ignored it with a twinge of annoyance starting to build up.

"Thank you," Candy said to the woman, "Um, miss."

"Argenta."

"Huh?" Candy blinked.

"My name is Argenta," The woman clarified.

Candy nodded, "Oh."

The woman laid a hand against Candy's chest and closed her eyes. There was a brief pause before her eyes opened again, and she did the same to Odhu.

"You'll be fully recovered in a few minutes," The woman named Argenta told them, "You're lucky I decided not to do worse."

"Thank you so much," Odhu snapped sarcastically.

The woman turned her attention back to Odhu, and the two of them locked glares. Neither one of them were backing down, but eventually Argenta raised her hands and pulled her hood back up.

"So," Argenta said, "Tell me about this friend."

Candy looked over at Odhu, but the sorceress showed no signs of wanting to speak, so Candy decided to take the initiative and told Argenta all about Kiri and the strange dark elf in red. She explained how they had suspecting her of working with the dark elf because of the similar red clothing. At this, Argenta laughed darkly but said nothing about it. After Candy finished explaining, Argenta remained pensive for a moment. After a few moments, she stood up and picked up the book again. She flipped through the pages and eventually stopped, offering the book out to Candy.

"I think this is what you're looking for," Argenta said casually.

Candy looked at Argenta but accepted the book being held out to her. Odhu leaned closer so she could look as well. The page open described exactly what Candy and Odhu were looking for. It had an ancient diagram of a hobgoblin, with labels and an in depth explanation. Candy went to read it, but then her face fell.

"I can't read this," Candy confessed quietly.

"What?" Odhu took a closer look.

Odhu then realized that it was written in some ancient language she had never seen before.

"How are we ever going to figure this out?" Odhu sighed heavily.


	17. Chapter 17

Art dragged her feet through the dirt on the forest floor and sighed heavily. They had been walking for so long she had lost track of time, and she was starting to get tired and hungry. She kept glancing at Artemis's back. The elf just kept walking forward with her back straight, like some automated machine that did not get tired or hungry like Art did. Art opened her mouth, but then closed it. She wanted to suggest that they take a break, but she did not know how Artemis would take that suggestion. Besides, did they even have time to stop when they were nowhere close to finding Kiri?

"I'm tired," Art decided to use the indirect method of complaining to see if Artemis would take mercy on her and call for a rest.

There was no reply from Artemis, though.

Art bit her bottom lip, "I'm getting pretty hungry too."

Still, no reply from Artemis. Art glared at her back and wondered what it would take to get this crazy elf to stop. Art's feet were killing her and she really wanted nothing more than to rest.

"We've done so much walking, I'm really starting to-"

"Stop complaining," Artemis cut off Art's thought.

Art was taken aback by Artemis's sharp tone. She wanted to retort, but she was not really sure what to say in response to it.

"You should be thinking about finding Kiri, not your stomach," Artemis scolded her.

"Well how am I supposed to find Kiri if I'm starving to death?" Art snapped back in annoyance.

Artemis stopped in her tracks and turned to face Art with her arms crossed. Artemis was glaring at her very angrily, but Art just glared back.

"You're supposed to deal with it," Artemis argued back, "Stop acting like a baby."

"I'm not acting like a baby," Art hissed, "I'm acting like a living person with needs such as food and rest."

"You're so spoiled," Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Spoiled," Art sounded deeply offended, "At least I'm not a heartless, unfeeling machine like you!"

Artemis narrowed her eyes, "I'm not a machine."

Art laughed incredulously, "What else could you be, never showing any emotions and never stopping to rest!"

"Stop," Artemis lowered her voice.

"Oh, please," Art dismissed Artemis's threat, "You couldn't understand how I feel right now even if you tried."

Artemis clenched her fists and resisted the urge to kick Art right in the face. She could easily defeat this childish sharpshooter and be on her way, the only reason she brought Art with her was so she would not cause any more trouble. It was not like Artemis actually needed her help to fight, she had handled plenty worse by herself. At this point, Artemis was seriously considering ditching Art.

Art, on the other hand, was starting to wonder why she was even working with Artemis. She did not need some heartless tempest insulting her and criticizing her all the time. She was perfectly capable of finding Kiri on her own, and she was a good enough fighter to handle some stupid hobgoblins. Artemis was nothing more than an annoying burden at this point.

"You know," Artemis tried to speak calmly through gritted teeth, "You don't have to come along if you don't want to."

Art folded her arms, "Are you implying something?"

"Only if you're getting the message," Artemis retorted.

Art was seething with anger. Artemis was beyond annoying at this point. Art decided that she did not have to put up with this the whole time.

"Fine," Art said, "I'm leaving."

"Fine with me," Artemis dismissed Art with a wave of the hand.

Art stomped forward, towards Artemis, who glared at her suspiciously. However, Art merely looked away and stormed past Artemis, heading deeper into the forest. Artemis remained still for a moment, until she could no longer see or hear Art. Then, she headed down the same path Art had taken. She guessed they were still both looking for Kiri, and to do that they had to go to the same place. There was a part of Artemis that was glad Art had stayed to look for Kiri, because she needed as much help as possible to find him sooner rather than later, but the majority of her feeling were focused on annoyance that the childish sharpshooter did not just return to Carderock and stay there, far away from Artemis.

Art, however, had other plans. Sure, she was staying to look for Kiri, but she was also focused on finding Kiri before Artemis did. She hoped that if she could save Kiri first, he would thank her and appreciate her more. She would get credit for saving him and stopping Elena, instead of Artemis, who was already famous enough as it was. Everyone in Carderock was so happy to see Artemis, like she was some sort of hero to them. Art wished she could be appreciated like that. Of course, though, all the credit went to Artemis.

* * *

><p>It seemed like another eternity as the sun rose and sank in the sky. Both Art and Artemis had continued on the same path towards the clearing they had last seen Kiri in, but Art was losing adrenaline from her argument with Artemis fast and she was getting tired again. So, she decided to break off the main path that she knew Artemis would be on and rest. From within her bag she pulled out a bright blue liquid inside of a bottle. She drank it and felt some energy returning to her, but she sat down and leaned against a tree in the shade as well. She closed her eyes in the shade and sighed. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. It was getting difficult for her to think straight, and she began to wonder if fighting with Artemis was further proof that she was as childish as Artemis claimed. She immediately shook that thought from her head and replaced it with the dark thought that Artemis wanted her to feel that way, and she refused to let Artemis win.<p>

"Maybe I should get a bit of rest," Art thought with her eyes closed.

The cool grass in the comfort of the shade under the tree was really tempting, and Art did not feeling like standing up any time soon.

Suddenly, there was a loud, earsplitting screech. It startled Art so much that she opened her eyes in a flash and drew her bow on an instinct of self-defense. To her, the sound was not human. It sounded like a familiar monster she had faced before, a harpy, and from the sound of it, the creature that made it was in the same clearing that Art and Artemis were looking for, which was just up ahead. Art took a couple steps forward, preparing to run over and investigate, but then she heard another screech and paused. The creature sounded like it was in pain. Art knew that Artemis would probably make it to the clearing before her, and she did not want to see Artemis there. There was no doubt in her mind that Artemis was there fighting the harpy already. Art knew that Artemis would not need or even want her help if she did show up, so she decided not to go.

"I'll just let her deal with it," Art fumed to herself as she began to put down her bow.

Then, a thought occurred to her. If she ever wanted to be appreciated for helping Kiri, this was a chance to prove her worth and do something. If she hurried, surely she could take down a harpy before Artemis was done with them. Not only that, but Art was itching for blood. Perhaps slaying some bothersome harpies would help her vent her frustrations. Killing monsters could be surprisingly good therapy sometimes. So, Art grabbed an arrow from her quiver and began to run towards the clearing.

Artemis was indeed in the clearing fighting the harpies. She had just kicked one onto the floor, where its wings flapped hopelessly, clearly broken by the force of her attack. It could not escape, and Artemis was just aiming a final arrow to deal the killing blow, when she heard a sudden screech behind her and felt sharp claws dig into her shoulders. Artemis winced and barely managed to hold on to her bow with one hand as a splitting pain coursed through her whole body. She felt her feet leaving the ground and looked down to realize she was being lifted into the air. She felt the force of the harpy's wings beating furiously to carry her weight as she ascended towards the tree tops. At this rate, it looked like the harpy planned to drop her from a height that she was extremely unlikely to survive from. Blood dripped down her arms as she thrashed to break free before the fall became deadly.

"Incoming!"

Artemis heard a voice echo through the trees at the same time as something whizzed right past her ear, slitting the very edge and piercing the harpy right in the leg. Another arrow followed shortly after, and with a pained yelp the harpy's grip on Artemis loosened enough for her to shake free. Unfortunately, Artemis was still very high in the air and she was falling to the ground fast.

"I got you!"

Artemis plummeted to the ground and closed her eyes. However, she felt herself come in contact with a pair of arms, and at the same time she heard a surprised grunt and a thump as if something had hit the floor. However, Artemis remained alive.

When Artemis opened her eyes, she noticed she was safely on the ground. Upon quick inspection, she realized that something had cushioned her fall. She hastily stood up and dusted herself off as the shapeless mass underneath her groaned. Artemis then recognized the stunned face of Art, whose eyes were having a hard time focusing on her.

"Art?" Artemis was genuinely surprised to see the sharpshooter there, but she could not be very mad at her at the moment.

Art winced and looked up at Artemis in a daze, "You're heavy."

Artemis stared, dumbstruck, at Art, as she tried to get back on her. Eventually, Artemis realized she should be helping and she held a hand out to Art to take. Art took it willingly and Artemis lifted Art to her feet, where she stood still and closed her eyes as if the world was spinning around her and she did not want to see.

"Thanks for the help," Artemis said humbly.

Art considered Artemis for a moment. There was a lot on her mind, but for some reason most of the burning hatred for Artemis completely escaped her mind.

"Yeah," Art eventually said in a distant voice, "No problem."

Artemis was not sure what to say next. She was not sure if Art was going to leave again, or if she was going to stay. Art had successfully driven off the remaining harpies, and the clearing was completely deserted. Artemis looked around to see that the clearing was not much different than when she was there last time, except the blood was dried this time.

"So," Art said hesitantly, "What's our next move."

Artemis turned away but the corners of her mouth twitched up in amusement. Typical kids, she thought to herself. Then, her gaze swept across the scene and she hummed in thought.

"Well," Artemis said, "We should look for a sign of tracks or something."

Art looked around at the well-trodden ground and sighed.

"Artemis," Art said, "I hate to say it, but the whole ground is covered in hobgoblin footprints."

"That's a start," Artemis replied optimistically, bending down to take a closer look at a set of footprints.

Art's eye twitched ever so slightly, "Yes, but, how are we supposed to tell which belong to Kiri?"

Artemis stood up again and shook her head. Art stood there in desperate exasperation, watching Artemis walk around in silence.

"That's going to be a bit more difficult," Artemis finally spoke up, "I guess we look around more."

Art blinked. The entire clearing was a mess. She tried to think back, and remembered seeing Kiri and Odhu somewhere off to the left of where Artemis was currently standing. With this knowledge, Art walked over slowly to a spot where the grass had been completely flattened down as if something with a very large back had been laying there earlier. Next to this spot of earth were claw marks and hobgoblin footprints.

"Hm," Art hummed out loud, "Artemis, I think I found something."

Artemis hurried over and looked at the spot on the grass where Art was pointing. She bent down to inspect it, then straightened up and nodded her head.

"These are the only footprints that lead out of the clearing," Artemis said, pointing with her fingers down the path the hobgoblin footprints led.

"So," Art said, "That must mean Kiri went this way!"

"Right," Artemis confirmed with a grin.

"Then let's go!" Art exclaimed excitedly, already running off back into the forest.

Artemis allowed herself a moment to laugh quietly to herself as she watched Art dash off in pursuit of Kiri with renewed vigor. It always surprised her how easily affected Art could be by the mood. Sometimes it could be bad, but at the same time, it could be a good thing. So, Artemis sprinted after Art, and they delved deeper into the depths of the forest.


	18. Chapter 18

Odhu and Candy followed Argenta out of the Silent Cloister, the book clutched firmly in Odhu's hands. Argenta walked along ahead of them without asking them anything, which Odhu found highly suspicious. Candy, however, was very pleased to have made progress in their quest to save Kiri. The only thing that troubled her was the meaning of the ancient writing, but surely they could ask Bailey to translate it for them, and then they would be good to go. When they finally made it outside, Argenta paused and turned to look at them.

Nodding at the book she said, "Good luck."

"Hold on," Candy spoke quickly, just as Argenta seemed to be bracing herself to leave in a hurry, "Didn't you need this book too?"

Argenta considered them, "I think I already found what I was looking for."

"O-Okay," Candy seemed taken aback by Argenta's confident response.

"Thank you," Odhu nodded her head at Argenta, who acknowledged Odhu's thanks with a similar nod of her head.

With that, Argenta sprang up into the air and disappeared in a flurry of tree hopping. Odhu and Candy watched her go with a mixture of relief and concern. Odhu, especially, was suspicious of the mysterious woman called Argenta. Candy, however, was very glad they had found what they came for.

"Come on, Odhu," Candy tugged on Odhu's sleeve, "Let's go get Bailey to translate this."

Odhu agreed immediately and together they made the return trip to Carderock. Odhu's body was still aching slightly from the beating she had received from Argenta, and Odhu could notice the vaguest hint of a limp in Candy's pace, but otherwise the strange healing magic Argenta performed had restored them to full health.

"You know," Candy spoke up as they approached the town, "I'm kind of glad we ran into Argenta."

Odhu stared at her in disbelief.

"She did find the book for us," Candy pointed out.

"Yes," Odhu said sarcastically, "And also beat us to a pulp."

"Yeah, well," Candy replied lightly, "It was worth it to further help Kiri."

Odhu sighed because she could not help but agree with Candy. She did not know if they would have found the book without Argenta, and to honest getting beaten really wasn't too consequential of a thing. If anything, it acted only to wound Odhu's pride.

"Bailey!" Candy called out as the approached the crest scholar back in Carderock.

Bailey looked up in alarm when he saw it was Candy who was approaching.

"O-oh, n-no," Bailey stuttered and looked around for a place to take cover.

Unfortunately, Candy skipped up before Bailey could hide, and with a grin on her face, she held the book out to Bailey and opened it to the page they were looking at earlier. Bailey blinked and adjusted his spectacles as he looked down at the ancient text.

"Wow," He breathed, completely forgetting it was Candy holding the book out to him, "This is a book of the ancients! Written in their original text! You actually found one!"

"We were hoping you could translate it," Candy said sweetly.

Bailey reached out a hand to touch the pages of the book. His eyes gleamed in excitement with the chance to study such a fascinating book. He was just about to curl his fingers around it when another pair of hands appeared from nowhere and pulled the book out of his reach, and out of Candy's hands as well. Bailey nearly fell over from the shock of having the book taken away, and he looked up wildly to see that Odhu had grabbed it. She held it safely in her grasp.

"Translate what we want first," Odhu said coldly, "Then you can read it for your pleasure."

"Of-Of course!" Bailey nodded vigorously.

Odhu pointed at the page they wanted translated and Bailey took a look.

"This should only take a few moments," Bailey assured them, "I'll write it down for you as well."

"Thank you," Odhu said tersely.

"Yeah, thanks Bailey!" Candy chirped.

Bailey gulped and nodded, his nose pressed close to the book, his mind immersed in the ancient language. Odhu tapped Candy on the shoulder and signaled to her that they should give Bailey some space and time to work. So, Candy followed Odhu over the bridge and towards the fountain.

"I'm just going to get my stuff repaired," Odhu said, "Then we'll check on Bailey."

"I'll do that too," Candy smiled and followed Odhu over to where the blacksmith, Belin, was working.

Odhu and Candy handed over their gear and watched as Belin pounded it a couple times with his hammer. Then, he handed it back with sweat shining on his forehead and a wide smile on his face. Candy and Odhu thanked him and left in a hurry, eager to hear Bailey's report. As they approached, they noticed a piece of paper gripped in Bailey's hand, though his eyes flashed quickly over the pages and he was muttering, barely audible, to himself.

"Bailey," Odhu said to get his attention.

Bailey jolted up and looked at them, upset that his reading was interrupted.

"I translated it for you," Bailey said and held out the piece of paper, "Here."

"Thank you again, Bailey," Candy said innocently and took the piece of paper from him.

"Enjoy the book," Odhu said as the two of them walked away.

Bailey merely waved his hand in dismissal and continued his reading. Odhu rolled her eyes and Candy snickered, but they got what they came for so they could not complain. They found a place to sit down and considered the piece of paper they obtained.

Candy was about to open her mouth and read the paper out loud when a sudden thought occurred to Odhu.

"Hold on, Candy," Odhu cut Candy off before she could speak, "I don't think we should be reading this here."

"Why not?" Candy tilted her head to one side in confusion and pouted, upset that she had been interrupted before she could read the translated paper.

"Someone might overhear," Odhu explained, "Someone who shouldn't be hearing this kind of thing."

Candy was not sure what Odhu meant by that, but clearly she was very worried with the idea, so Candy agreed that they would go somewhere more private to read the paper. Odhu suggested they go to the Ashen Ruins to read it, because hardly anyone ever went there and if there was someone there, they should be able to see it. So, Candy let Odhu lead the way as they headed towards the Ruins.

When they arrived, Candy suggested they sit down underneath the dying tree that would at least provide some shelter for them. Odhu agreed and they sat down next to each other. This time, Candy pulled out the paper again and opened her mouth to read, with no objection from Odhu.

"The hobgoblins are a race of... blah blah blah... Their sharp claws and fangs... blah blah blah..." Candy skimmed over the paper, intent only on finding information directly relevant to a cure.

Odhu wanted to chide Candy for not reading all of it, seeing as any information could be extremely useful to them, but she felt there really was no point in trying to explain this to Candy. Perhaps she would read the paper over in full later, after Candy was satisfied with an answer about a cure.

"Ah, here we go!" Candy exclaimed, "The only known cure for experimental mutations is an antidote found in the feathers of the Gold Dragon. One feather is sufficient to remedy one hobgoblin."

"The Gold Dragon?" Odhu wondered out loud.

"What's the Gold Dragon?" Candy asked Odhu with curiosity glittering in her eyes.

Odhu rubbed the back of her head, "Exactly what you're probably thinking. That is, a dragon the color of pure gold."

"Is it made of gold?" Candy wondered, "Could we sell the feathers and make a fortune off them?"

Odhu was about to open her mouth to respond to Candy's ridiculous plan, but someone else beat her to the point.

"No."

Candy and Odhu jumped up and were halfway through drawing their weapons when a woman dressed in a red cloak descended from the sky and landed in front of them, her long white hair fluttering around under her hood. Argenta stood there and glared at both of them, slowly pulling down her hood and folding her arms.

"Argenta? What are you doing here?" Candy asked in shock.

Argenta ignored her question and continued, "You cannot take the feathers of the Gold Dragon."

"Why- why not?" Candy seemed so crestfallen that Odhu glared at Argenta and demanded an answer to the same question.

"The Gold Dragon is an incredibly important figure," Argenta explained, "You cannot hope to simply obtain a feather from him. Furthermore, I, personally, will not allow it."

"What? Why not?" Candy protested unhappily, a sense of betrayal and desperation boiling inside her.

Argenta huffed in annoyance but did not bother to answer.

"We need one feather," Odhu spoke calmly, "I see no problem getting it, unless the Gold Dragon would try to kill us and you don't think us capable."

Argenta laughed bitterly, "You aren't capable of fighting him, but that's not my reason."

"Then what is?" Odhu demanded angrily.

Argenta, yet again, remained silent. That is, until all three of them heard a rustling sound from above them. They looked up just in time to see another person land next to Argenta. Argenta looked momentarily surprised, but then a scowl once again reappeared on her face.

"I told you to stay where you were," Argenta muttered darkly to the new person with them.

Candy stared up at the person before them. He appeared to be a swordsman, and he carried a red sword that seemed to radiate power just by looking at it. The man's face was slightly tanned, and he had long golden hair. Something about him made Candy think that this guy was one of the most powerful people she had ever met, but she could not understand why she felt that way. Odhu, too, felt the same aura around the man that Candy felt.

The swordsman laughed good-naturedly, "My apologies, Argenta, I just thought I'd come join you."

Argenta looked ticked off, "Gerrant, you idiot."

Gerrant smiled but made no attempt to defend himself from Argenta's poisonous tongue. Instead, he looked at Odhu and Candy and seemed to be thinking of something.

"You two are looking for a feather from the Gold Dragon?" Gerrant asked them suddenly.

Candy squeaked in surprise but managed to reply, "Yes!"

Gerrant looked thoughtful, but Argenta merely glared daggers at him. It was difficult to tell what she was so angry about, but Odhu felt that Argenta was usually in this kind of mood. She was more interested in how Argenta and Gerrant knew each other. Eventually, Argenta turned on Gerrant.

"What do you think you're doing?" Argenta demanded furiously.

Gerrant remained as calm as ever, "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" Argenta asked him sourly.

"I think," Gerrant finally said, "I'm helping."

"Helping?" Argenta sounded very doubtful of his response.

"Yes," Gerrant replied simply.

"How is this considered helping?" Argenta refused to accept his answer.

Gerrant looked at Odhu and Candy, "Would I be helping you if I gave you a feather from the Gold Dragon?"

Candy immediately jumped up and clapped her hands together, "Yes, of course!"

Gerrant turned back to Argenta, who was looking more and more shocked by the minute, "See?"

"You- you idiot, what do you think you're doing?" Argenta hissed at him, "I refuse to let you do that!"

Gerrant laughed and returned Argenta's deadly glare with a smile. Odhu and Candy looked from the supposed swordsman, Gerrant, and Argenta, with great interest.

"Excuse me," Candy spoke up, "But how do you plan on getting a feather."

Gerrant smiled vaguely and opened his mouth to reply, but Argenta promptly stomped in front of him and looked on the verge of slapping him very hard.

"Don't do it," Argenta warned him through gritted teeth.

Odhu wondered what Argenta was talking about. If Gerrant already had a feather with him, perhaps Argenta wanted it and did not want him to give it to them because then she would not be able to get it from him. If he did not have the feather, perhaps Gerrant was going to go find the Gold Dragon and get a feather for him. Maybe Argenta did not want him to do this because he could get hurt or killed by the Gold Dragon, or maybe he would simply take too much time and she did not want to wait for him to finish and get a feather. But Odhu was surprised at how set against helping them Argenta was being, when Gerrant seemed helpful and willing enough, even when they had not even asked him to help. Odhu assumed that Argenta was just being selfish or cruel, but to be honest, that was the kind of person Argenta was, at least in Odhu's eyes.

Gerrant shook his head, "I can't refuse to help."

"Yes you can!" Argenta snapped.

"It's just one feather," Gerrant finally tried to reason with Argenta, "It won't cause any harm."

"You don't know that!" Argenta snapped, "You don't know what it will do!"

"I've lost feathers before," Gerrant told her, "I am fine, am I not?"

"Yes, but," Argenta still tried to protest, "How can you be sure?"

Gerrant was quiet for quite some time. Argenta's furious gaze softened at the pensive look on his face, but she remained adamant that he should not help Odhu and Candy. Odhu and Candy, meanwhile, chose to stay out of the argument, unless an urgent need arose for them to take part in it.

"I guess," Gerrant finally said, "I can't, but that doesn't mean I won't try to help."

Argenta seemed to droop her shoulders in resignation, "I guess there's no persuading you."

"No," Gerrant confirmed her suspicions.

"Fine," Argenta growled.

Then, she swung around, and with the swish of her red cloak, she stalked off. Gerrant watched her go in silence. Odhu and Candy were not sure what to say. They were grateful that Gerrant was still going to help them, but they felt like they had jeopardized the relationship between Argenta and Gerrant, whatever that relationship was. Candy, particularly, was worried that they had offended Argenta. Odhu, however, was not inclined to care if Argenta was mad or not.

"Thank you, sir," Candy finally decided to break the silence as Argenta disappeared from sight.

Gerrant nodded to acknowledge Candy but said nothing.

"How do you plan to get a feather, then?" Odhu asked him suspiciously.

Gerrant looked back to where Argenta had disappeared and sighed.

"I'm going to give it to you," Gerrant told them mysteriously.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Odhu was still highly suspicious of how Gerrant could just be carrying around a feather, unless he planned to stroll up to the Gold Dragon and take one as if it were a walk in the park.

"Well," Gerrant took a step back, "I am the Gold Dragon."


	19. Chapter 19

Art followed behind Artemis as they navigated through all the bushes and fallen trees of the forest. Her breath was coming more and more unsteadily and she panted slightly with each tree they climbed over, and her legs were starting to ache from all the work, but she refused to say a word of it to Artemis. She refused to start complaining again, especially about something so trivial. She finally understood what Artemis meant when she accused Art of acting like a child, because her complaints were childish, and she realized that. Even if she was tired, there were more pressing, important matters. Still, those thoughts did not makes the aches and exhaustion go away. Even Artemis was slowing down, or so Art liked to believe. However, Artemis said nothing about it either, and the two of them continued on their journey.

Eventually, they reached a small river that flowed through the depths of the forest. Artemis stood still on top of another fallen tree and looked at the gently flowing water. Art joined her on top of the trunk of the tree and looked around. At first, she thought Artemis was just admiring the natural beauty of the forest, but as she looked too, she noticed there was something wrong about the river. The rocks along the river bank were stained with a familiar crimson color, and the trunk of the fallen tree they were on was scored with dozens of large claw marks. Art was not sure what to make of it at first, but then an idea came to her.

"The hobgoblins have been through here before," Art spoke her thoughts out loud, and Artemis turned her head to look at Art.

"I think so," Artemis confirmed Art's suspicions, "Which means we must be getting closer."

"So all these fallen trees were knocked over by hobgoblins?" Art asked.

Artemis nodded her head.

"But what about the blood?" Art was a bit mystified by that part, because she did not think hobgoblins were inclined to attack each other.

"What blood?" Artemis turned sharply to Art.

Art pointed to the rocks by the river, "Over there."

Artemis followed Art's pointing finger to where the stains of blood were dried up on the rocks.

"Nice catch," Artemis complimented Art.

Art could not deny that being complimented by Artemis like that made her feel proud of herself. She was quite happy to accept the praise, even if it was Artemis. Art wondered why she was so pleased, when only a little earlier, she had claimed to hate Artemis with every fiber of her being. There was no denying she still felt a certain amount of jealousy towards the archer who was no doubt competing with her for Kiri's attention, but other than that there was not much left for Art to judge Artemis negatively for. She was a great fighter, too, something that inspired Art to battle on and one day be able to completely destroy everything like Artemis could.

While Art was still reflecting on this atop the fallen tree, Artemis jumped down to go inspect the blood.

"This is weird," Artemis said, mostly to herself, but Art could not help but overhear.

"What's so weird?" Art called out to ask her.

Artemis approached the blood and bent down to take a closer look. She took a hand and ran one finger across the surface of the stone where the blood was stained on, and furrowed her brows.

"This," Artemis said, "Looks like human blood."

"Human blood?" Art was taken aback by the thought that someone had been attacked or killed here.

"Yeah," Artemis said, "But there's something weird about it."

"Like?" Art was getting slightly impatient by Artemis's indirect answers.

"Well," Artemis straightened up to a standing position, "It feels and smells like hobgoblin blood."

"Wait," Art interrupted her, "I thought it was human blood."

"That's what I find so weird," Artemis said, "It looks like human blood but possesses characteristics of hobgoblin blood."

Art found that to be extremely contradictory, and in an irritated voice asked, "So, is it human blood or hobgoblin blood?"

Artemis paused and thought over that question too. There was no doubt about it, it looked just like human blood. She had seen enough human blood spilt to recognize the look of it. However, there was no denying it was more similar in properties to hobgoblin blood, which could mean several things. Perhaps a hobgoblin attacked a human here, and their blood just happened to spill on top of each other's, but Artemis found that perfect coincidence too unlikely. There was another idea, but she was not sure if it was right, or how she could go about proving it.

"Maybe its Kiri," Artemis finally suggested quietly.

"Kiri?" Art asked.

"Well, I have no way of knowing, but Kiri was a human that turned into a hobgoblin, so maybe his blood is unique, or else the poison does not transform a person totally and thoroughly, leaving such evidence as human blood behind," Artemis explained her theory.

Art wanted to believe it very much, because it would mean they were on the right track, but something was bothering her about Artemis's theory.

"Hold on, how can a hobgoblin live with human blood?" Art asked, familiar with the fact that even humans could only accept certain types of blood into their bodies without adverse effects.

Artemis wondered that too.

"I'm not sure if they can survive like that," Artemis said, "Or, at least, they cannot live for very long like that."

"So, what you're getting at," Art said slowly, "Is that Kiri might die because of an imperfect transformation?"

"Exactly," Artemis nodded her head.

"Then we have a problem," Art bowed her head.


	20. Chapter 20

Candy and Odhu glanced at each other with dubious expressions. There Gerrant stood in front of them, a perfectly normal human claiming to be the fantastical Gold Dragon. Surprisingly, Odhu was the first to laugh. Candy followed suit shortly after.

"Ok, ok," Candy spoke between breaths, "seriously. What's your plan?"

Gerrrant folded his arms in front of him and studied the two chuckling girls with an unamused look. He waited patiently for them to finish laughing before he cleared his throat.

"This was my plan," He replied evenly.

Candy frowned and considered the bizarre swordsman to see if he would give away some hint that he was joking, but he just glanced pointedly at her and smirked. With a sudden, dazzling flash of pure golden light, Candy and Odhu were forced to shield their eyes and look away. The light faded gradually from the clearing, and when Candy and Odhu looked back up, Gerrant was still smiling smugly. The only notable difference in him was the pair of massive wings sprouting from his back. Candy gaped at the glittering gold feathers as the wings flapped nonchalantly around.

"I suppose if you don't want a feather from me, I understand," Gerrant added cheerfully.

Candy shook her head and replied weakly, "No, its fine."

Gerrant reached out with one hand and plucked a single feather from his wings. He held it delicately in between his fingers and held it out for Candy to take. She held out her hands and it floated down into her palms, warm to the touch.

"Thanks," Candy mumbled quietly.

Gerrant spread out his wings and looked to the sky with a guarded expression. Odhu narrowed her eyes at him, irritated by her inability to read what he was thinking.

"We'll be seeing each other around, I think," Gerrant told them ominously, "I think Argenta likes you two."

Odhu scoffed, "Yeah, right."

Gerrant shrugged, "She didn't kill you. That's a start."

"How kind," Odhu grumbled sarcastically.

"You'd be surprised," He replied casually.

Candy carefully tucked the golden feather into her backpack and smiled sweetly at Gerrant, "Thank you for your help, mister."

Gerrant nodded in acknowledgement. With a flap of his wings, he disappeared in a blur of red and gold, leaving only a stirring wind in his wake. Candy watched his retreating shadow glide through the air as Odhu huffed. The feather in Candy's bag made her feel light and giddy. It seemed to radiate warmth and cheer. That was when Candy got an idea.

"Hey, Odhu," Candy said, digging the feather out and holding it out to her, "you wanna hold onto this?"

Odhu kept her hands by her side and stared suspiciously at the feather.

"Come on," Candy urged with a smile, "please?"

Odhu stretched out her hand slightly and gave Candy a hesitant glance, "You trust me to?"

"Of course!" Candy assured her with an excited nod.

Odhu closed her fingers around the feather and tucked it in her own backpack. Candy watched slyly as she noticed the corners of Odhu's mouth curl up into a vague smile. Candy congratulated herself with a self-satisfied nod and closed her backpack.

"Come on," Candy said, marching off towards Carderock, "we have a couple elves to find."

Odhu hummed appreciatively and followed Candy's lead. They marched off at a brisk pace towards Crystal Stream, and hopefully closer to the archers still in pursuit of their missing hobgoblin.

* * *

><p>"How long do you think a hobgoblin can live with incompatible blood?" Art asked as she and Artemis dashed through the trees.<p>

Artemis shrugged her shoulders slightly and dodged out of the way of a fallen log. They were sprinting through the forest at a rapid pace, hoping to make up for lost ground. Art kept pace with Artemis admirably, for once not paying attention to her own exhaustion or hunger. She felt her heart beating rapidly and the blood rushing through her veins and shivered. If her own blood betrayed her, what would she do?

"I think we're getting close," Artemis observed, pointing at the tracks in the dirt.

Art still cringed whenever she thought of the monster they were tracking as Kiri. If they found him, and he attacked, would Art be able to hurt him? She liked to believe she could, but if she was being completely honest, she was lying. She had already hurt Kiri enough. How could she hurt him even more?

Artemis drew her short bow and notched an arrow. It seemed she was sensing something. Art mimicked her and drew her own longbow apprehensively. She was not aware of anything, but Artemis sure was, and if Art had learned anything, it was that Artemis's combat experience should always be trusted.

"There's something in the clearing ahead," Artemis told Art over the sound of the rustling leaves.

Art nodded stiffly and fell into stride behind Artemis, preparing to take up her long-range position as Artemis led the charge. The clearing approached too quickly for comfort, and as Art stopped atop a tree and took aim, Artemis burst through the bushes and slid to a halt. Both of them froze as a hideous, sickly blue creature looked up at them with weary eyes. Its elongated claws were spotted with dried blood and mud, and its hair was an astonished pale white rather than typical black. It hissed and paced where it stood, eying the two stunned archers.

"Kiri?" Art was the first to call out to the hobgoblin.

Art was sure it was Kiri. She could recognize that hair anywhere. It was definitely him.

"Kiri," Artemis echoed in a soothing voice, lowering her short bow, "can you hear us?"

The hobgoblin stared at both of them and flashed its sharpened fangs. However, it did nothing else. Artemis glanced up at Art, who nodded breathlessly. Artemis then put away her short bow and held out a hand to the monster. She approached cautiously, putting one foot ever so slightly in front of the other, holding out a steady hand to the hobgoblin they were both sure was Kiri. When it stepped away slightly with a loud hiss, Artemis froze and made eye contact with it. She took a deep breath and kept going. With each step, she closed the distance until she could just about reach out and touch the hobgoblin. It was trembling slightly, glaring at her hand as if it screamed terror.

"Kiri," Artemis mumbled softly, "it's us."

At that moment, something sharp came flying out of the trees and grazed Artemis's hand. She winced with a sharp breath, which set the hobgoblin off. It hissed and spat and reared onto its back legs, claws outstretched to rip flesh. Artemis gasped and rolled back just as Art shot an arrow to keep the hobgoblin back. The shot nicked the sickly blue skin and sent the hobgoblin reeling. Artemis drew her weapon again as a familiar woman cloaked in red stepped out, strumming her elongated nails against her leg.

"Elena!" Artemis tried to shoot at the dark elf, but she brushed aside the arrows and they snapped in half.

Elena chuckled in amusement and clucked her tongue. A massive, pale-skinned ogre lumbered into the clearing, knocking down trees and leaving massive footprints in the earth.

"This one is mine," Elena threatened with a jab towards the rampaging hobgoblin.

The massive ogre reached out a hand and grabbed the hobgoblin by the feet. Despite the scratching and biting and writhing, the ogre never let go. It stared blankly at the creature as Elena patted it with effusive praise.

"Hey!" Art shouted angrily, "You can't just take him!"

"Art," Artemis warned under her breath as the young sharpshooter jumped down from the trees, "be careful."

"Come on," Art scoffed impatiently, "I could easily take this dark elf!"

"Don't get so full of yourself," Artemis cautioned.

Art rolled her eyes, "I'm not."

"You should listen to your companion," Elena chided Art with a wink.

"Return Kiri to us then," Art retorted, not phased at all by the situation.

In truth, Art was itching to prove herself. After making so many mistakes and having her companions think of her as worthless, she had something to prove. No, she had something she absolutely needed to prove. She needed to show them, including Kiri, that she was just as strong, just as reliable, as the veteran tempest beside her. They thought Art was an idiot, a label Art did not deserve. She would show them that, and defeating Elena would be the proof.

Artemis saw Art's grip tighten around her bow and felt her own patience begin to waver. Just when Artemis thought the sharpshooter was finally learning, she went and ruined it with yet another irrational act. How was she supposed to work with an idiot that brushed her off every time she couldn't keep her own emotions in check?

"Art," Artemis hissed urgently in one last attempt to dissuade the sharpshooter, "not now. We have to be _careful_."

Art glanced unhappily over her shoulder at Artemis and the two elves glared daggers at each other for a long moment. Artemis was debating whether or not to give up when she heard Elena cackle loudly.

"My," Elena gasped with a sick grin, "you can't even work together long enough to save your friend here."

Art's defiant expression fell as her eyes widened. Artemis took a deep breath to calm herself and noticed Art's hands were trembling. From anger or fear, Artemis couldn't tell, but she did know that she needed Art to pull herself together. As much as she was reluctant to admit it, she needed Art to help her. This was one task she did not think she could handle on her own.

"Fine," Art finally huffed and addressed Artemis, "you have a plan?"

Artemis blinked, surprised by the steady tone of Art's voice. Her hands were still shaking, but she managed to keep her voice even. Maybe Art was more in control than she gave her credit for. Maybe.

"Follow my lead," Artemis told her sternly.

Elena watched them with a bored sigh, and Artemis smirked. The least she could do was wipe that condescending look off the dark elf's face. So, without so much as a warning, she shot a rapid volley of arrows at Elena, and Art quickly mimed the action. Elena stood up a bit straighter, but once again the arrows brushed past her without doing any harm. She scrutinized one of her elongated nails and hummed.

"Congratulations," Elena winked, "you managed to work together for a total of fifteen seconds. Very impressive."

"She's really starting to piss me off," Art muttered under her breath.

Artemis shrugged and watched Elena intently. The dark elf clapped her hands together and leapt up into the air, landing deftly atop the head of the massive ogre.

"If you manage how to stop clawing at each other's throats," Elena told them smugly, "come find me."

With a cluck of her tongue, the ogre ambled away through the trees, taking Kiri and Elena with it. Artemis held out an arm to stop Art from chasing after them, and slowly the sound of splitting bark and falling trees faded away into the distance. Art folded her arms grumpily.

"Why'd you stop me?" She snapped at Artemis now that Elena was gone.

"Because," Artemis sighed patiently, "we need to come up with an actual plan."

"I thought our original plan was good enough," Art muttered.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "We didn't have a plan."

"Fine by me," Art stuck out her tongue, "I'm more of a winging it person anyways."

"I noticed," Artemis retorted grouchily.

Art slung her longbow over her shoulder and pretended she had not heard Artemis's remark. It was true, she tended to do reckless things when she acted in the moment. But it was also acting in the moment that saved lives. She had never planned to save Kiri the first time they had met, but in the moment she decided to save him, and that was one of the best decisions she had ever made. There was only so much planning could account for. In the end, she had to be able to rely on herself. Artemis, however, didn't seem to think that was wise.

"Tell me your plan," Art commanded, and Artemis, blinking the shock out of her eyes, obliged.


	21. Chapter 21

"Hey Candy," Odhu grinned widely and prodded the alchemist in the side.

They were strolling back towards the forests where Artemis and Art had departed for a while ago, and the sun was still shining brightly in the clear sky. Candy was starting to get nervous. She wasn't nervous about chasing after the elves and finding Kiri, of course not, but rather for the overly exuberant sorceress bouncing on her heels next to her. Odhu was smiling. _Smiling_. Candy stiffened when Odhu poked her arm.

"Candy," Odhu sang happily, "this is great!"

Candy blinked and stared at the grinning sorceress, whose arms were spread out wide as if embracing the air in front of her. There was something very wrong with Odhu. Ever since Candy gave her that dragon feather, Odhu had been acting all cheery. At first Candy enjoyed it, but when Odhu showed no signs of relenting she began to worry. Surely Odhu wouldn't be stuck like this? How was Candy supposed to explain how she broke Odhu?

"It's such a beautiful day," Odhu sighed happily, her eyes sparkling in the sun.

Candy buried her face in her hands and tried to reassure herself. Maybe if she could just get the feather away from Odhu, the sorceress would go back to being her normal, apathetic self; the Odhu that Candy was used to. The one she liked.

"Odhu," Candy began slowly, immediately capturing the attention of the giddy sorceress, "can I see that dragon feather for a second?"

Odhu blinked innocently, "Why?"

"Um," Candy tried desperately to think of something quickly, "It's, uh, pretty! Yeah, very pretty. I think it would look good out in the sunlight."

"Oh!" Odhu gasped excitedly and pulled out the feather, holding it up in the sunlight, "It does!"

"Yeah," Candy sighed in relief and reached out an arm to grab the feather, "can you hand it to me?"

Odhu shrugged and gave the feather to Candy without a fight. The moment Candy's fingers wrapped around it, she felt the familiar warmth envelop her. The goofy smile fell off Odhu's face immediately, and she glared at the feather as if it were poison.

"Never give that to me again," Odhu hissed angrily at Candy.

Candy giggled and put the feather away again. Odhu just huffed and stomped ahead at a faster pace, and Candy happily hummed and skipped after her into the forest.

"Quit messing around," Odhu snapped to get Candy to stop humming, "we have to find Artemis and Art."

Candy pointed towards the ground and Odhu glanced over to see a set of footprints in the dirt.

"Let's follow the trail," Candy suggested with a wink.

Odhu rolled her eyes and set off down the trail with Candy once again skipping behind her. Odhu was overcome with a sudden temptation to take the feather back from Candy. She wasn't sure which was worse, Candy having the feather or having the feather herself.

* * *

><p>"And you're sure this is going to work?" Art ask Artemis doubtfully as they pursued Elena through the forest.<p>

Artemis nodded her head stiffly, "It should."

"That doesn't sound very sure," Art muttered under her breath.

If Artemis heard, she didn't say so. Instead, the two elves continued through the trees in silence, reviewing their parts of the plan in their minds to make sure they would not mess up when the time came. The way Artemis saw it, their plan would involve two separate parts. One person had to fight off the giant ogre and whatever hobgoblins were around, while the other had to face off against Elena. With much difficulty, Artemis explained to Art they would perform much better if Artemis was the one to fight Elena. Not only was she more experienced and skilled, but she was much better fighting single enemies rather than large groups. Art, after much convincing, was forced to accept that she would not be able to fight Elena head to head. Of course, if she managed to defeat the ogre and hobgoblins before Artemis was finished with Elena, she was welcome to join in the fight against the dark elf. Art clung to this piece of information desperately. She was dying to take down that dark elf once and for all, and if she could just kill everything else fast enough, she could happily move on to Elena. She felt bad for the poor monsters who would try to get in the way. They'd hardly survive more than a few seconds.

Artemis would not admit it, but she was nervous. Firstly, she would have to depend on Art to handle the ogre and possible hobgoblins by herself. Not that Art was unskilled, but she was inexperienced and foolish, a potently disastrous combination. Artemis had no idea how many hobgoblins there would be, and that also worried her. What if there were too many for Art to handle? Not the least of her concerns was that Artemis did not know if she could rely on herself. Elena was a new enemy, and certainly not one to be messed with. What if Artemis could not handle her? Artemis hated doubting herself, and she wished she could have more faith in her skills, but nonetheless she had to consider loss as a very real possibility. She could not bear to be the one to let their team down, though. She could never look Art in the eye again if she failed.

"Artemis," Art whispered, jolting Artemis from her thoughts, "do you hear that?"

Artemis strained her ears to listen and detected a faint, wild hissing sound ahead. Artemis nodded in confirmation and Art chewed her bottom lip slightly.

"It sounds like hobgoblins," Art pointed out hesitantly, "a lot of them."

Artemis detected the edge of concern in Art's voice and the thought dawned on her that perhaps Art was just as unsure of herself as Artemis was. Artemis felt bad making Art doubt herself so much. Art wasn't all bad, in fact she would probably be extremely strong one day. She just needed to pull herself together first.

"You'll do fine," Artemis decided to comfort the nervous elf, "I told you to fight the hobgoblins for a reason, didn't I?"

Art glanced at Artemis and felt the tension in her shoulders slacken. Sometimes Art could not stand Artemis, but other times she knew she'd rather not have anyone by her side going into battle by her side but Artemis.

"Thanks," Art mumbled, "good luck to you."

"And you," Artemis replied briskly.

The hissing grew in volume until it was the only sound Art could hear. She tried to block it out and focus on something else, but it was so loud and persistent that no matter what she did the hissing preoccupied her every thought. She had no idea, though, that there would be as many as she saw once they made it to the next clearing in the forest.

There were hundreds of them. The sickly blue creatures with their terrible black claws and wild, bloodshot eyes were writhing around and fighting amongst themselves until they stood up alertly to face Art and Artemis. The sea of sickly blue extended far out into the clearing, their horrible bodies packed together as they fought to reach the two elves first. Art heard Artemis gasp slightly next to her and wondered if Artemis had changed her mind about the plan. She turned her head to look at Artemis, who was staring at her with a steely expression Art couldn't read.

"You know what to do," Artemis told her firmly.

With that, Artemis took off, jumping over the heads of the hordes of hobgoblins. Art gaped and could not believe Artemis was trusting her to fight off this many monsters. She scanned the crowd and spotted Elena and the pale ogre at the other end. Artemis was already speeding along, attempting to engage Elena in combat. The dark elf just noticed Artemis charging her when she leapt off the ogre and faced down the approaching tempest. Art watched the first blows being exchanged before she reminded herself she had her own task to attend to. The hissing hobgoblins were begging for someone to teach them a lesson. Art smirked, still not able to believe what she was about to do, and shot her first arrow straight into the chest of her first target. It was going to be a long battle.

Artemis, meanwhile, could not believe what she had just said. She had seen the hordes of hobgoblins, she could tell how impossible the task would be, and yet when she glanced over to Art she still stuck with the plan. Had she doomed them both? Artemis was sure she would find the answer to that question soon enough, but the sudden strike from Elena forced her to stop thinking about it. All she could think about was fighting the dark elf, one attack after the other, counterattack here and dodge there. Elena was no pushover. She was wild, aggressive, and cunning. She wasted no energy in any attack, using her ridiculous speed to keep a powerful offensive. Artemis tried to out-maneuver her, but Elena never let it happen. Her attacks were almost as grand as her ambitions, and certainly just as far reaching and devastating. Artemis got in close for a couple hits, but they barely scratched the dark elf before Artemis was forced to retreat again. Artemis wasn't sure she could keep up the pace if the battle stayed like it was.

"What's wrong?" Elena taunted her between strikes, "I thought you were supposed to be _good_."

Artemis frowned in concentration but refused to let Elena's words affect her. She did not want to be a part of Elena's psychological games. Instead, she channeled her energy into learning the style of Elena's attacks. Slowly but surely, she figured out a pattern. She could tell when Elena was most vulnerable. So, when Elena unleashed a vicious flurry of slashes and kicks, Artemis fell back until she was done. The last attack set Elena off balance, and Artemis smiled to herself as she charged in to kick Elena on the side. Elena, clearly unprepared, was sent flying back, and Artemis threw in a few shots with her bow just for good measure. They scratched through Elena's skin and sent droplets of blood flying, speckling the green grass of the clearing. Elena recovered midair and landed on her feet, glaring furiously at the tempest who had dared to harm her. Artemis stayed where she was, wary of getting to reckless.

"Come on," Elena tried to provoke Artemis again, "was that supposed to be an attack?"

Artemis ignored her and stood her ground. Elena's eyes flickered around the scene rapidly, taking in every little detail. Artemis wondered if Elena was trying to figure out a new strategy, or if she was stalling for time.

"What's the matter," Elena called out smugly, "too scared to speak?"

Artemis's eye twitched slightly. She desperately wanted to retort with a scathing comment, but at the same time she refused to give Elena the pleasure of evoking a response from her. She kept her mouth shut and instead moved in for another attack.

Elena chuckled loudly as Artemis approached. Artemis tried to land another heavy kick on Elena, but at the last moment Elena grabbed Artemis by the ankle and lifted her into the air. She brought Artemis back down to earth with a loud thump, and Artemis lay there stunned with the breath knocked out of her chest. Elena took the opportunity to slash at Artemis, opening a large wound down her arm. Before Elena could strike again, Artemis pin wheeled up and landed on her feet. Artemis winced and held onto her injured arm, watching as blood soaked through the cracks between her fingers. Elena savored the blood that now stained the tips of her long nails and she could barely contain the excitement bubbling within her. She hadn't had the chance to tear apart an elf in a very long time. Artemis slowly let go of her arm and took a deep breath. She had to concentrate.

Art had already come to that conclusion a very long time ago. The sheer numbers of hobgoblins pushing and clawing at each other to attack her made it nearly impossible to avoid being hit. One wrong move and she was done for. They would knock her off balance or out of the air and she'd disappear forever under a hissing and spitting pile of sickly blue flesh. At this point, she could only hope Artemis was doing alright, because checking to make sure was a luxury Art could not afford.


	22. Chapter 22

"Do you want to maybe shut up?"

Odhu could hardly stand it anymore. Candy was prancing around humming and singing and nagging the sorceress about every little thing that came across her mind, and frankly Odhu could care less. She snapped at Candy, no longer caring if it was that stupid feather causing Candy to be so irritating.

Candy blinked in surprise and quieted down. Her serene smile slid off her countenance and she wondered what she had done to upset Odhu so much. Odhu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. When she saw Candy's earnest expression she began to feel a bit guilty. Perhaps she had been too harsh. Candy was, after all, one of the only people who had ever showed Odhu unwavering kindness despite everything she had done. The least she could do to repay that kindness was be patient.

"Sorry," Odhu muttered uncomfortably.

Candy smiled to herself when she saw Odhu's ears turn red from embarrassment. It always made Candy happy to see the softer side of Odhu, the side Odhu always seemed to try and hide.

"Its ok," Candy dismissed the apology. She had not been offended by the sorceress's outburst anyways, just worried about whether or not Odhu was upset and unsure about what to say.

Odhu sped up the pace of her walking until Candy was trailing behind her. Candy decided not to pursue the subject and followed Odhu along at a bit of a slower pace, giving the sorceress some distance. If Odhu wanted to be alone, so be it.

"How much further is it?" Odhu whined suddenly and stopped to wait for Candy.

Candy caught up, wondering why Odhu seemed so moody recently.

"I don't know," Candy shrugged noncommittally.

"It feels like we've been walking forever," Odhu groaned dramatically and pouted.

Candy giggled slightly, "Are you getting tired?"

"What," Odhu snapped to her defense, "no! It's just inconvenient to have to walk so far is all. It's stupid."

"I think that's the point," Candy suggested jokingly.

"Whatever," Odhu grumbled and folded her arms.

The wind whistled through the trees and the leaves rustled. At first, Candy thought she was hearing things. She looked up at the leaves and watched as they stopped rustling, but the sound persisted. It was like a faint hissing noise, just barely noticeable if you weren't paying attention to it. Candy turned her head around to try and pinpoint the source of the sound, and it seemed to be coming from ahead of them.

"Do you hear that?" Candy asked Odhu to confirm she was not going crazy.

Odhu nodded slightly, "Sounds like hissing."

"Come on," Candy grabbed Odhu by the wrist and started dragging her closer to the source of the odd sound.

Odhu allowed herself to be led by Candy and with her free hand grabbed hold of her staff. It never hurt to be prepared. They broke out into a sprint and dodged around the remaining shrubbery until they arrived at the edge of a large clearing. By that point the hissing had become deafening. Candy and Odhu emerged from behind the shelter of the trees and Odhu's breath caught in her chest. She felt Candy's grip on her hand tighten as Candy slowed to a halt and stood frozen in place.

Hundreds of hobgoblins were writhing around and hissing and clawing at each other within the clearing. The ground with soaking with fresh, crimson blood, but the hobgoblins did not seem to care. They were fixated on a single target dancing between them rather precariously. Said target was a young elf wielding a longbow and shooting at targets as if her life depended on it. She was covered in scratches and Odhu could see her wince with every step she took, yet the elf continued to fight on as if it was nothing.

"Art!"

Candy was the first to come back to her senses. Art was not in a good condition. She had tried her best, but it was nearly impossible to fight off the sheer numbers of hobgoblins closing in around her. She was worried she would soon run out of arrows, an almost limitless supply she had not realized she had taken for granted until it was almost gone. Every muscle ached and cried out for rest, but Art ignored their pained shrieks and kept fighting. She had not seen or heard from Artemis since the fighting started, but she could only hope that since Elena had not come to finish her off that Artemis was alright. When Art heard Candy's outcry, she lost concentration and consequently a hobgoblin crashed straight into her side, sending her flying. She landed with a dull thump near the two new arrivals to the scene.

Candy rushed over to Art to inspect her wounds. Fortunately most of the scratches were relatively shallow, but Art's skin was bruising too and Candy could tell Art was struggling to keep herself going. Art looked up at Candy through clouded eyes and grinned despite herself.

"Took you guys long enough," Art joked faintly.

Candy chuckled at Art's ill-timed humor and replied, "You can't rush perfection, you know."

"Yeah," Art stuck out her tongue, "but I can rush you guys."

"Anyways," Odhu cut in on their conversation, "mind telling us what's going on here?"

"We found Kiri," Art told Odhu while massaging her side, "but then Elena showed up. Artemis is fighting her somewhere, I have to deal with these guys."

Odhu's gaze swept over the horde of monsters and she felt herself shaking in anticipation. All those monsters just standing around, waiting to be killed… It was almost too much. Almost.

"Let's get started then," Candy drew her own weapon and helped Art to her feet.

Artemis was nowhere in sight and Art was starting to get worried. However, she still had her own task to accomplish, and with the arrival of backup she was beginning to think it may just be possible. Candy and Odhu were fighting side by side like people possessed, and one by one the hobgoblins fell before them like puppets cut from their marionette strings. Art hung back behind the two new arrivals as she took a deep breath to steady herself. It was true that she was grateful for the help, but at the same time the pit of her stomach burned with disappointment. She had failed to deal with all the monsters on her own. Had she ever been useful, or had she always been this weak? Why had she not noticed sooner?

Art stopped her train of thought before it could go any further. She was disappointed in herself, sure, but she could not let that get in the way of the fight. After everything that had happened, if she was going to learn one thing, it would be that she had a task to accomplish and she had to stop putting herself and her emotions first. She grabbed another arrow from her depleting quiver and joined Odhu and Candy in the fight, drowning out her thoughts and feelings with the hiss of monsters and the river of their blood.

"Why are there so many of them?" Candy asked while tossing vials of brightly colored chemicals around.

"No idea," Odhu replied distractedly as she teleported around, "just kill."

Candy happily obliged and tossed another chemical vial. It shattered upon contact with the monster's skin and dissolved it instantly. The monster writhed in agony and then fell still, its skin smoking slightly. Candy seemed pleased with the result and made a mental reminder to reproduce more of that chemical.

The tide of battle quickly turned in their favor. With the three of them all fighting together, the monsters fell by the masses with minimal effort. The endless horde thinned out and Art, despite the shame still haunting her thoughts, caught Candy and Odhu's gaze and grinned in relief. They returned the smiles as they finished off the remaining horde. Once most of the monsters were taken care of, Art could spot Artemis and Elena once again. Art did not know how, but Artemis was still battling to the death with the dark elf, and it did not look like either of them would be stopping any time soon. Artemis was looking worse for wear with her blood-soaked clothes and bruised skin, but she still moved as gracefully as ever. Elena was indeed a worthy opponent for the tempest.

"Hey Art," Candy called out to her, pulling Art's attention away from the ensuing duel, "where's Kiri?"

Art quickly skimmed over the crowd and spotted the familiar figure hunched over across the clearing. She pointed him out to Candy and joined her as they jogged over.

"You have the cure?" Art asked Candy nervously.

Candy nodded as Odhu caught up to the two of them. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the golden feather. It was glowing faintly in the sunlight and Art stared at it in wonder.

"What is it?" Art asked, reaching out a hand to touch it.

Candy drew the feather back slightly, protecting it, and replied calmly, "We got it from a dragon."

Art blinked and stared at Candy at Odhu as if she had misheard them. Candy and Odhu fighting a dragon? Were they even capable of it? How had they done it so quickly?

Odhu snickered at the shocked look on Art's face and told her, "The dragon was just some guy, and he gave it to us. Long story."

Art nodded weakly and mumbled, "Well, as long as you got it…"

"Trust us," Candy winked, "it should work just fine."

They approached Kiri quickly until Candy suddenly stopped. She held Art and Odhu back and cleared her throat.

"Has anyone actually wondered how we're gonna use this thing?" She asked suddenly.

"What?" Art blanched.

Odhu frowned and hummed slightly, "I hadn't thought about that."

"Me neither," Candy admitted.

"You have got to be kidding me," Art said out loud and wondered how she was even still alive after all the stress she'd recently been through. It was enough to drive any person crazy.

"Look," Candy declared optimistically, brandishing the feather, "it shouldn't be too complicated, right?"

Odhu shrugged. She reached out a hand and took the feather from Candy, striding purposefully towards the huddled form of Kiri the hobgoblin. She held out the feather in front of her as she approached and called out Kiri's name. The hobgoblin uncoiled slightly and stared at the approaching sorceress. Odhu spoke Kiri's name again and brandished the feather. It fluttered slightly in the breeze and the light seemed to radiate off from it and reach out to its surroundings. When Kiri did not move or attempt to run away, Odhu approached faster until she could almost touch his skin. His wide eyes stared at her. He still did not lash out or try to flee. Odhu decided, against common sense, to just go for it, so she touched his skin with the feather and immediately regretted the decision. Kiri hissed wildly and lashed out. His clawed hand caught Odhu in the side and sent her flying backwards, the feather desperately gripped in her hand so she would not lose it. Candy ran forward to try and catch her, but the sorceress just knocked Candy off her feet too. Kiri leapt into action and charged straight at the two of them. They were still trying to reorient and untangle themselves, so Art acted desperately. She dashed forward and grabbed the feather out of Odhu's hand and shouted to the two of them.

"Hold him down!"

"Are you kidding!?" Candy exclaimed incredulously when she saw Kiri charging towards her.

Art ignored Candy and set her plan into action. Kiri pounced on Candy and Odhu, who just barely managed to roll out of the way in time. They attempted to hold Kiri down with a combination of spells, chemicals, and body weight, and even then Kiri thrashed wildly, nearly breaking free. Art started to run forward when she heard a furious shout from nearby. She glanced over her shoulder to see Elena land a blow on Artemis, sending her crashing to the ground. Elena turned her attention to Art and ran at an incredible speed, clawed fingers outstretched. Art felt her heart stop, and she did not have enough time to draw her bow.

"Get away from him!" Elena shrieked furiously, preparing to attack.

Art was frozen in place, and she knew that Elena would easily take all three of them out with a single blow. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the attack, but in the end she just felt a massive gust of wind blow past her. Art opened one eye and saw Artemis standing in front of her, taking the entire force of the attack upon herself.

"I'm the one you're fighting," Artemis hissed at Elena through gritted teeth.

Elena smirked at Artemis and her new injuries, "Not the smartest move."

Artemis pushed Elena back with a powerful strike and turned towards Art, who was staring in shock at the exchange.

"Hurry up," Artemis breathed.

With that, Artemis dashed into battle, keeping Elena preoccupied enough to distract her from Kiri. Art pulled herself together and tore her eyes away from the fight. Candy and Odhu were struggling to keep Kiri under control, so quickly Art pressed the feather against the skin of their hobgoblin friend and felt it heat up immensely. She winced at the burning pain but kept the pressure on. Light engulfed the four of them and a wave of pure heat sent Art, Candy, and Odhu flying backwards. They landed on their backs and stared up in a daze as a ball of light consumed part of the clearing. They heard Elena shout in frustration over the shrieks of the hobgoblin within the ball of light. Eventually, the shrieking ceased and the ball of the light collapsed upon itself as the human figure laying on the floor absorbed it all within himself. Kiri coughed weakly, and Art's heart started to beat wildly. He was alive.

"Kiri!"

Art, Candy, and Odhu all ran forward to lean down next to Kiri and check to make sure he was alright. Art leaned down close to Kiri and saw the shallow rise and fall of his chest. She pressed her hand against it and felt his heart beating, and though it was weak at least Kiri was alive and would probably stay that way. She fought the burning urge to start crying and willed herself to stand up and move away. Though Kiri was safe, Artemis needed help and they would not be done until Elena was properly dealt with. It was difficult leaving Kiri's side, but Art knew she had to. So, she pushed herself onto her feet and left Kiri with Candy and Odhu, who watched her go with unreadable expressions on their faces. Art no longer cared. All she wanted was for this battle to end so they could finally relax.

Artemis, meanwhile, was losing her energy. Every move she made became more and more difficult until it felt like she was made of lead. She was sure that a couple of her bones were broken or at least severely sprained, and the multiple cuts and bruises on her skin pricked and ached uncomfortably. Yet, when Artemis saw Art standing up and walking over to help her, she felt a desperate energy surge through her. She wanted to be the one to finish Elena. She knew it was petty and selfish, and she was probably sinking to a level she did not want to be at, but in the heat of the moment her adrenaline was pumping at it became harder to think calmly. So, in one final move to finish the dark elf she was fighting against, Artemis pushed herself onward. With each step she felt a shooting pain snap up her ankle and she guessed she had injured it from a kick or an imperfect landing, and though the pain made her feel unsteady on her feet she ignored it and landed one final blow on Elena. She put every last ounce of power she had into that blow, and when she heard Elena's piercing scream and saw her body land on the ground with a thump and stay that way, she was sure she had finally done it. Artemis then promptly collapsed to the ground and stayed that way as well.

Art watched Artemis collapse and felt her heart plummet. Elena was defeated, but Art was sure that the cost had been too high. She dashed over to Artemis' side and leaned down next to her, frantically checking to make sure she was still breathing. Though it was hard to notice, Art heard a shallow gasp from Artemis' mouth, and her pulse was still strong, still beating wildly from the adrenaline of the fight. The only thing Art had to worry about now was treating all of Artemis' wounds, but she was sure that if they could just get back to Carderock all of that could be taken care of. It was just a matter of getting back home.

"Art, look out!"

Art heard Candy call her name desperately and looked up to ask Candy what was wrong. She turned her head and before she could call out to Candy to ask what was wrong, she saw for herself. Elena was getting back up, and her crimson armor, soaked with her own blood, was crumbling away to reveal and seeping mass of black smoke. It exuded from her body and engulfed Elena. Art tried to will herself to stand up and do something, but she felt numb staring at the abyssal black substance, as if her very being was being engulfed by it like Elena. Elena let out a horrible scream as the last of her disappeared in the cloud of black, and just when Art began to think that the fight was a lost cause, something else happened. A black pentagram appeared on the floor, and from it sprang forth a contained black hole that swirled in upon itself, sucking Elena and the odd smoke into it. Elena was knocked off her feet and swallowed up by the black hole until she was gone, and as the pentagram faded away Elena was gone as well. Art stared blankly at the spot Elena had been standing at and opened her mouth to ask what happened, though no words came out.

Odhu, however, chuckled darkly and grinned, "That felt good."

Candy glanced over at Odhu, who was gripping her staff with white knuckles.

"You did that?" Candy asked in awe.

Odhu smirked and nodded her head. Candy felt a wave of both fear and appreciation wash over her and wondered how long Odhu had been able to do that. Odhu glanced over her and seemed to read her thoughts.

"I made that up just now," Odhu told her, "Wasn't sure if it would work or not."

"I think it worked," Candy pointed out faintly.

Odhu smiled and held out a hand to help Candy stand. She took it and Odhu pulled the alchemist up onto her feet. She teetered off balance for a moment before she regained her composure and dusted herself off. Art was still kneeling down next to Artemis with a dumbstruck expression that Candy found highly amusing. With the battlefield eerily empty and silent, Candy started to laugh. Every bit of relief she felt she let out with that laugh, and though Odhu shot her an unimpressed look Candy ignored her and pulled the sorceress into a tight hug. Odhu stiffened up slightly but allowed Candy to continue to hug her. It felt good to be shown affection every now and again.

"Odhu," Candy asked sheepishly, "Wanna carry me back to Carderock?"

Odhu then prompted pushed Candy off her and scoffed, "No."

"Please?" Candy pouted with wide eyes aimed at Odhu.

"No," Odhu folded her arms.

"Why?" Candy whined unhappily.

"If you don't mind," Art finally found her voice and called out, "I could use some help getting these two back there."

Art pointed at Kiri and Artemis. They were both still laying unmoving on the floor.

"Oh," Candy said, "good idea."

"Just one problem," Art said calmly, looking at the two they needed to move, "I don't think I can carry them…"

Candy looked down at her skinny arms and grinned sheepishly, "Me neither…"

Odhu rolled her eyes, "Great."


	23. Chapter 23

Art swore she would never do any work for the rest of her life. It took them four hours to move Kiri and Artemis from the clearing back to Carderock and Art could not feel her arms or legs. They were shaking uncontrollably from all the work and Art felt like she was wobbling around like jello. When they reached the outskirts of Carderock, Art finally had enough. She stopped moving forward and collapsed onto the ground with an exhausted sigh. Odhu and Candy looked like they were just about to do the same.

"Candy," Art groaned, "go find someone to help us out."

Candy blanked and stared at Art, "Why me?"

"Just do it!" Art hissed, in no mode to argue with anyone.

Candy, despite looking very upset at having to move more, sauntered off into the town, leaving Odhu and Art to watch over Kiri and Artemis. Candy came back a few minutes later with a couple of other people behind her, but Art was too tired. She just closed her eyes and fell asleep next to Kiri, putting their lives in the hands of the people Candy had brought.

* * *

><p>Artemis woke up and felt like a ton of bricks had been placed on top of her. With difficulty, she lifted her head up to look, but instead of bricks she found a thin blanket over her. After staring in confusion for a moment, she realized she must have been taken to Carderock. She recalled watching Elena collapse, but that was it. Artemis guessed Art had brought her back. With a faint smile she reminded herself to thank Art for that later. The elf had finally pulled through. Then Artemis realized Art must have brought Kiri back to. That meant they had actually succeeded in saving Kiri. Her mood improved dramatically and Artemis was content to lay back and relax in the bed of her new room while she waited for someone to come check on her. Artemis had also come to the conclusion very early that she was in no condition to be moving around.<p>

And, as she predicted, someone did come in to check on her after a while. The door to her room opened quietly and Artemis watched with a polite interest as said person poked their head in. Said person was Art, and when Art saw that Artemis was awake she smiled widely and hurried in. Art sat down at the foot of the bed and allowed the silence between the two of them to carry on for a brief moment before she spoke.

"Good morning," Art began tentatively, "how are you?"

"Good," Artemis replied conversationally, "you?"

"I got let out early," Art grinned.

Artemis glanced over at the scars on Art's skin. It was clear by the way that Art held herself that she was still sore from the fighting, but she was in much better shape than Artemis. Artemis wondered if Art had gone to visit Kiri yet.

"How is Kiri?" Artemis asked directly.

Art's smile dropped ever so slightly, "Worse than you."

Artemis stared at Art, prompting her to say more.

"He's not awake yet," Art finally answered truthfully.

Artemis sighed heavily and tried not to let the worry show in her voice. She hoped Kiri would be ok, because she was not sure she was ready to accept the fact that she might have failed.

"They said not to worry too much yet," Art assured her when she noticed that Artemis had fallen quiet, "he just needs more time to recover."

"I hope," Artemis muttered doubtfully.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and someone else walked in. It was a cleric with sweeping, ashen hair. He spotted Art and smiled slightly.

"There you are," He said with amusement, "I wondered where you went to."

Art laughed and got off Artemis' bed. Artemis watched the interaction with mild interest and wondered who the cleric was. It was probably the person who had taken care of her. The cleric glanced over at Artemis and noticed that she was awake.

"Art," The cleric addressed the other elf sternly, "I told you not to harass all the others."

Art shrugged, "This was important."

"Well," The cleric sighed and gave up trying to scold Art, "if you're done you can leave now."

Art nodded and waved to Artemis as she left the room. Artemis tried to wave back, but it was too difficult to raise her hand. So, instead, she just watched as the cleric closed the door and approached the side of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" The cleric asked her casually.

"Fine," Artemis replied automatically.

The cleric raised an eyebrow doubtfully. He seemed to be considering something for a moment before he spoke again.

"If you're fine, then would you mind standing up for me?"

Artemis paused when he said this. She looked away, realizing she would not be able to do that, and tried to think of something clever to say. After a few moments, she gave up.

"Ok," Artemis admitted, "maybe not that fine."

The cleric chuckled at her response. He went about casting a simple healing spell and as he did so Artemis felt the tension in her muscles relax. His healing aura was warm and exuded a feeling of strength and security. She watched the expression on the cleric's face shift from a smiling one to a focused, serious one and admired his dedication to his work. He seemed to be very competent at what he did, as if he had a lot of experience. Artemis always appreciated those who had experience like herself.

When the cleric was done, he breathed a faint sigh and leaned back against the wall to rest. Artemis felt immensely better when he was done and the weight against her chest felt much lighter.

"Thanks," Artemis smiled slightly at the cleric.

The cleric smiled back and shrugged, "Just doing my job."

"You're part of the Divine Order?" Artemis asked conversationally, not wanting the cleric to leave just yet.

He nodded in the affirmative, "I have been ever since I was a kid."

"So quite a while I'm guessing?"

The cleric looked a bit upset when he answered, "Yeah."

Artemis did not want to get too personal so she stopped asking questions. After a brief lull in the conversation, the cleric cleared his throat and pushed himself off the wall.

"Anyways," He said, "I have some others I need to go check on, so I'll be back later. Try to get some rest."

He headed for the door and pulled it open, but before he could leave Artemis attempted one last time to spark a conversation.

"Wait," She called, "I never got your name you know."

The cleric glanced over his shoulder at Artemis and grinned slightly.

"You can call me Ray," He answered briefly before the left and closed the door after him.

Artemis leaned back against the bed and closed her eyes. There was just something about clerics. Artemis spent her time wondered what was going to happen next. After she had recovered, and hopefully after Kiri had too, there was a lot they had to decide on. For one, Artemis was starting to worry that, after everything Kiri had gone through, if he would still be willing to fight monsters alongside her. Not only that, but maybe Kiri would prefer to work with Art in the end. Kiri had chosen a rather inconvenient time to turn into a hobgoblin, not that Artemis blamed him. Still, she wished they could have had the chance to sort everything out between them. There was also the matter of Candy, and though Artemis had not given it much thought at first, Kiri had been with Candy when he went missing. Did that mean something, or was she just being paranoid now? Artemis could not really tell anymore. She did not want to jump to conclusions, but at the same time she felt the conclusions she were making were accurate. Perhaps a bit to accurate for her comfort. Either way, she still had to get better before she could deal with anything else, so she tried to dismiss the thoughts from her head and get some rest as Ray had instructed her to. Maybe she could chat a bit with Ray the next time he came to visit her. He was certainly an interesting person.


	24. Chapter 24

Art obeyed Ray's command and left his patients alone. She had been visiting them because she was feeling antsy, making it hard for her to stand still. She was never one to sit around and wait, and she really wanted to know how Artemis and Kiri were doing, so she went to investigate herself. However, after being shooed away, Art thought it would be best to get some fresh air, so she left to go wander around Carderock. She had just emerged out into the sunlight when she spotted Candy and Odhu chatting with each other. They looked up when Art approached and smiled welcomingly, so Art joined them by the fountain.

"Hi Art," Candy greeted her first, "how are you feeling?"

"Tired," Art replied bluntly.

Candy laughed, "Me too."

Odhu nodded but kept silent as usual. Art could not help but marvel over how all of them, despite being from completely different walks of life, could come together over such a bizarre circumstance. It was all because of Kiri they were sitting together, and while it astounded Art it also made her uncomfortable. What was it about Kiri that made him attract others so much? Would it always be like this? If it would be, Art was not sure she could stand it. It made her uneasy every time, and she did not want to feel that way constantly. Maybe it was better if she just took a step back from everything and moved on.

"It feels weird just sitting around here," Candy commented suddenly, "I feel like we should be doing something."

"Like what?" Odhu asked boredly.

"I don't know," Candy shrugged, "but it just feels weird."

Art agreed with Candy. She felt wired for action, but there was nothing left to do but sit around as everything returned to normal. Somehow the thought of normal bothered Art.

"Candy," Odhu sat up and called out the alchemist's name as she stared across the square, "isn't that Argenta?"

Candy blinked in confusion and followed Odhu's line of sight. Indeed, striding quickly across the square towards them was Argenta, the hood of her red cloak pulled over her head, concealing her silver hair. Candy could immediately sense there was something very wrong. Argenta looked absolutely livid, and she was storming over to them with a glare of death in her eyes. Candy and Odhu exchanged nervous glances while Art stared at Argenta in confusion.

"Who is Argenta?" Art whispered to Candy and Odhu.

"Someone we met while looking for a cure," Candy replied in a hushed voice, shrinking close to Odhu and trying to appear as small as possible in the hopes of hiding from Argenta.

"You two!" Argenta called Odhu and Candy out, and the two victims debated whether or not they could escape if they ran.

Argenta finally reached them and stood facing them with her arms folded in front of her. Her gaze looked like it could set its target on fire.

"Do you realize what you've _done_?" Argenta hissed, furious but trying not to attract too much attention from the others in the square.

"No?" Candy braved a fearful response and immediately regretted it when Argenta shot her a disgusted look.

"It's all your fault!" Argenta snapped and started to pace around in front of them.

"What is?" Odhu asked, unhappy with being accused of something.

"Shut up!" Argenta snapped, "I don't have the patience to deal with you two idiots! You're lucky I won't kill you right now!"

Art took pity on the trembling forms of Candy and Odhu and cautiously joined in to try and help them out.

"Um," Art spoke up, "what exactly did they do?"

Argenta glanced quickly over at Art, looked her over, and then proceeded to ignore her in favor of continuing to yell at Candy and Odhu. This gesture infuriated Art, who would absolutely not stand for being insulted and ignored like that. Art did not care who this woman was or what she had done to help with the efforts to find a cure, Art would not accept such brazen disrespect. She was in no mood for it.

"Hey!" Art stood up to stand face to face against Argenta, "I asked a question!"

Argenta waved her hand dismissively, gesturing for Art to go away. Art clenched her teeth and stood her ground.

"Who do you think you are?" Art demanded, struggling to keep her voice even.

Finally Argenta turned to properly face Art. She narrowed her eyes at the young elf challenging her and rubbed her temples to try and soothe her headache.

"That's none of your business," Argenta replied irritably, "now leave before I kill you."

Art huffed, "I think I'll stay here until you explain why you're yelling at my friends."

"You're all idiots," Argenta barked in scornful laughter.

"Then prove it! What did they do wrong?" Art persisted in arguing despite the cautionary glance Candy gave her.

Argenta quieted down and stopped pacing. She looked between the three people she was yelling at and sighed in frustration.

"Fine," Argenta conceded, "you want to know what they did. They _killed_ Gerrant."

"Who?" Art had no idea what Argenta was talking about, but both Candy and Odhu's eyes widened at the accusation and they could no longer look Art in the eye.

"I hope your little friend gets better," Argenta sneered, "because thanks to him Gerrant is dead."

"How?" Candy asked quietly. She liked Gerrant, he was kind and even just his presence felt reassuring. Somehow a world without him felt far more dangerous.

"Because without all his feathers he was too weak and got in over his head," Argenta growled under her breath.

"Sorry," Candy offered shyly but received only a silencing glare from Argenta.

"I need to meet this kid," Argenta declared suddenly.

Art jumped at the declaration, "No way!"

Argenta sighed heavily, "I need to see what the feather did to him."

Art shook her head, "He's not even awake."

"All the more reason for me to check," Argenta countered impatiently.

"Come on Art," Candy said sadly, "it's the least we can do."

Art glared suspiciously at Argenta and led her across the square and back inside, Candy and Odhu following close behind. When Art opened the door to let Argenta inside, someone came downstairs. Everyone filed in and Art closed the door just as Ray appeared at the bottom of the stairs. His expression lightened up when he saw Art, Candy, and Odhu, but when he did not recognize Argenta he gave Art an imploring look.

"She's here to see Kiri," Art told Ray.

The serious tone of Art's voice did not escape Ray's notice, and the solemnity of the group also unsettled him. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Sorry," He told them, "I don't think that would be a good idea right now."

"It's important," Art added when Ray looked like he was going to stop them.

Argenta walked forward and made her way up the stairs, brushing easily past Ray. Art, Candy, and Odhu followed close behind and Art gave Ray a quick apologetic smile.

"I'm at least not letting you visit without supervision," Ray sighed and followed the group upstairs.

When they reached the second story landing, Art pointed out Kiri's room to Argenta. Argenta strode down the hallway, and as the others followed behind Art caught a glimpse of Artemis sitting up and staring at the group in curiosity. Then, Art walked into Kiri's room, and when everyone was inside they closed the door behind them. Kiri was laying down on his back, covered by the bed sheets, and his eyes were still closed. The room felt warmer and lighter, as if it had been exposed to more sunlight, and Art recognized it as the after-effect of Ray's healing. It always made her feel comfortable and safe.

"Try to be careful," Ray warned Argenta as she approached the bed side.

Argenta did not respond, but she did move delicately as she leaned down to inspect Kiri. She rested her palm against his forehead and closed her eyes.

"Don't interrupt me, whatever you do," Argenta warned them.

Then, she began to mumble something under her breath. Light gathered around her palm, but it was not warm or reassuring like Gerrant's light or Ray's healing. It made Art agitated, and as the aura grew she could not hold herself back. She broke away from the observing group and grabbed hold of Argenta's wrist to pull it away from Kiri. At that moment, she felt as if something snapped in her brain, and her vision filled with light until it went completely white.

Her vision came back moments later, but she was somewhere entirely different. They were back in the clearing where Kiri had first become a hobgoblin in, but instead of blood stained grass and dead hobgoblins, it was occupied by three other people. Art recognized the back of Argenta's red cloak instantly, and she stood at the opposite end of the clearing with the two others. As Art approached, she saw a man with faintly tanned skin and long, golden hair. A large, red sword hung by his waist. He had a relaxed, easy-going smile spread across his face as he said something to Argenta. The other person made Art's heart stop. It was Kiri, and he was listening to Argenta and the blonde man talk with a confused look on his face. Art picked up the pace until she was running towards the group of three, and when she was a few feet away, Argenta heard her footsteps and turned around. When she saw it was Art, she scowled.

"I told you not to do anything!" Argenta snapped.

"Technically you just said not to interrupt," Art replied breathlessly as she came to a stop in front of the group.

The blonde man laughed, "She must be a handful for you, Argenta."

Argenta huffed, "We only just met."

"I like her," The blonde man declared, "She'll keep you on your toes."

"I don't need anyone to keep me on my toes," Argenta snapped impatiently.

Art turned her attention to Kiri, who was staring at her blankly. The look on Kiri's face made Art nervous, so she waved a hand in front of his eyes. Kiri blinked but did not respond.

"What's wrong with him?" Art asked, fear building in her voice.

"Gerrant is saving his life," Argenta answered flatly.

Art looked at the smiling swordsman, who fixed her with a kind gaze. She realized this must be the Gerrant who had died.

"I thought he was dead?" Art asked Argenta hesitantly.

"He is," Argenta replied, "this is just a piece of his spirit from the feather you used to heal your friend."

"Then what is he doing?" Art was incredibly confused and desperate for answers. Why wouldn't Kiri wake up?

"I'm keeping him from waking up," Gerrant answered for himself, "he hasn't recovered from the transformation process yet, and I'm afraid if he woke up right now his mind would snap permanently."

Art glanced at the blank expression on Kiri's face and she chewed her bottom lip. Argenta looked extremely irritated, but Gerrant looked as pleasant as ever. It was truly an odd scene.

"Will he be ok?" Art turned to Gerrant, her last hope for saving Kiri and putting this all behind her.

"This is ridiculous," Argenta muttered under her breath, but Art opted to ignore her and continued to stare expectantly at Gerrant.

"He'll be fine," Gerrant said reassuringly, "once you and Argenta leave he'll be stable enough to wake up."

"I can't believe you," Argenta cut in to accuse Gerrant, "giving up a feather for this kid. You _died_ because of it. It wasn't even worth it! We're going to lose any advantage we ever had!"

Gerrant chuckled softly and glanced up at the face of Art, an expression of mixed relief and joy at the news that Kiri would be alright soon.

"I think it was worth it," Gerrant said to Argenta, "if I was able to help these people then I'm glad I did. You never know, they might prove themselves useful someday."

"Whatever," Argenta muttered and looked away, "just hurry up, I don't have all day to spend here."

Gerrant nodded and then turned his attention back to Kiri. He placed a hand on the cleric's shoulder and shook it gently. Kiri blinked, recovering from a deep daze, and yawned. A thin wisp of bright light escaped into the air and floated away, and as Art lost sight of it she felt herself starting to fade. Art also noticed that Argenta was starting to blur, the bright red color of her cloak warping and allowing the greenery to show through it. Slowly, the scene faded away, and with a dizzying jolt Art felt herself falling. She felt herself land against something solid, but it wasn't the floor. When she opened her eyes, it was Ray, and he was staring down at her with a blank expression.

"Are you always this impulsive?" Ray asked Art as he helped her get back onto her feet.

Art smiled apologetically and shrugged, "A bit."

"That explains a lot," Ray commented dryly.

Argenta cleared her throat and stepped away from the bed. After a few seconds in which everyone stared in confusion at Argenta and Art, who in turn were staring intently at Kiri, something happened. Kiri coughed slightly and his eyes fluttered open. He sat up in his bed, looked around at the large crowd in his room, and his face immediately paled.

"What are you all staring at?" Kiri asked nervously.

"Kiri!"

Art launched herself forward and threw herself on top of Kiri. She tackled him in a desperate hug and buried her face into his shoulder, laughing and crying at the same time. Kiri gasped and wriggled around a bit.

"Art," Kiri breathed out, "you're crushing my lungs."

"Oops!" Art giggled and loosened her grip.

Kiri managed to pull out his arms from underneath the blankets and he returned Art's hug. Eventually Art regained her composure and she sat up on the bed to give Kiri some breathing room. Kiri scanned over the rest of the people in the room and recognized Candy and Odhu.

"Candy! Odhu! Are you guys ok?" Kiri asked urgently.

"Its fine," Candy assured Kiri quickly, "we're all fine."

"What about you?" Art asked Kiri with a nudge.

Kiri rubbed the back of his head and tried to smile, "I think I'm fine?"

"Well," Argenta cut in suddenly, "I'll leave you to your happy little reunion or whatever it is."

Argenta then strode out of the room, leaving a stunned group behind her.

"Who was that?" Kiri asked as soon as Argenta was gone.

"Just someone we met who helped us out a bit," Art dismissed Argenta quickly.

"Hold on," Odhu spoke up suddenly.

She dashed out of the room in the wake of Argenta, leaving the group even more confused than before. After another moment, Candy cleared her throat and headed for the door too.

"I think I'll go see what Odhu's up to," She said awkwardly and left, leaving Kiri, Art, and Ray as the only three left.

"Ok," Ray declared with the clap of his hands, "you know the drill Art. I need some time to check up on Kiri. In the meantime, you can check on Artemis if you want."

Art nodded and hopped off the bed. She headed for the door and waved to Kiri as she left, who waved back. When it was just Ray and Kiri left, Kiri's shoulders sagged and he left out a heavy sigh. Ray noticed and chuckled slightly.

"Your friends are quite a handful," Ray commented lightly.

Kiri mumbled, "You have no idea."

"At least they seem to care," Ray pointed out optimistically, a point which Kiri could not refute because it was definitely true. On one hand, it was a good thing, but on the other Kiri was beginning to feel it was too stifling.

Ray went about checking to make sure Kiri was stable and healthy. Kiri noticed how focused Ray was on his work and had to admire how seriously he treated his job. After a while of trying to let Ray work in silence, Kiri's curiosity finally got the best of him.

"You said Artemis was here? Is she ok?" Kiri asked shyly.

Ray looked up from his work when Kiri spoke and smiled, "She's fine, don't worry. She's used to fighting, I can tell, so she'll recover quickly."

"How can you tell?" Kiri continued on a line of questioning, interested in finding out more about the cleric with him.

"I've been on the front lines myself," Ray explained distractedly.

A sudden idea came to Kiri's mind and he asked, "Were you a healer?"

"Yep," Ray nodded, "and speaking of healers sit still for a moment."

Kiri did as he was told and Ray started to cast a healing spell on him. It was bright and warm and it made Kiri feel very relaxed. When Ray was done he took a deep breath and stood up.

"Why are you here in Carderock then?" Kiri asked Ray out of curiosity.

Kiri could have sworn he saw a hint of red rise in Ray's cheeks but before he could properly see it was gone, and Ray cleared his throat. Kiri waited patiently for a response, and after a few awkward moments of silence he got one.

"My friend and I are visiting here," Ray answered evasively.

"Oh, cool," Kiri nodded, "I take it you'll be leaving for the front lines soon then?"

"Probably," Ray replied vaguely, "anyways, try to get some rest for now, but you should be able to leave soon."

"Sounds good," Kiri stretched back into his bed as Ray left and allowed himself some time to think. Now that he was back, he had a lot of sorting out to do in terms of two certain elves.


	25. Chapter 25

Odhu strode out of the building and started to scan the crowd in the plaza. Thankfully, Argenta's red cloak made it easy for Odhu to spot her, and Odhu jogged in order to catch up to the retreating figure before she left the town. When Odhu approached, Argenta seemed to sense her presence, because she stopped and waited for Odhu to reach her.

"What do you want?" Argenta growled impatiently as Odhu stopped next to her.

"You're fighting Elena, aren't you?" Odhu asked quickly.

"Your point?" Argenta narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"She's connected to the dragon cultists," Odhu explained, "and I want to help you."

Argenta folded her arms in front of her and raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I have a grudge to settle," Odhu responded darkly, to which Argenta smiled slightly.

"What makes you think you can handle it?" Argenta challenged Odhu with that smug look back on her face.

"Because I have to," Odhu replied stubbornly.

Argenta looked Odhu up and down, and with a brief nod she started to walk off. Odhu kept stride next to her and felt a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. This was her chance to finally turn everything around and take back what was hers. Odhu was just beginning to feel the sweeping relief of freedom when a voice called out to her, bringing her crashing back down to Earth. Argenta gave her an irritated, sidelong glance and continued walking. Odhu stayed behind and turned around to face the owner of said voice. It was Candy, and she was bounding over to Odhu with her pigtails flying out behind her.

"Odhu! Where are you going? Why were you walking with Argenta?" Candy asked breathlessly as she finally closed the distance between the two of them.

Odhu sighed and felt guilt gnaw at her gut. Just when she was beginning to look forward to the future, she realized she was also leaving something important behind her.

"I'm going with Argenta," Odhu told Candy bluntly, not knowing how to tell Candy gently.

Candy's sweet face seemed uncomprehending for a moment, but soon the innocent smile slid off her face to be replaced with a confused frown.

"What?"

Odhu clenched her fists in an effort to remind herself to endure this difficulty and nodded.

"Why?" Candy asked sadly.

"I have some things I need to take care of," Odhu said vaguely, "and Argenta is going to help me."

Candy shook her head, "But I could help you too!"

Odhu rolled her eyes despite herself. She was always astounded by Candy's dedication to even a person she had only known for a brief while. Still, that short time had made Odhu incredibly happy, and it was no easy matter saying goodbye to Candy. She had snuck her way into Odhu's heart without Odhu ever noticing.

"No Candy," Odhu shook her head, "you don't have to."

"But I _want_ to," Candy countered immediately.

Odhu sighed heavily, "Listen, you'd be more useful following your own path instead of tagging along down mine. I don't want you to regret it later."

"I won't!" Candy protested stubbornly.

"No," Odhu refused outright, "I won't let you come."

Candy opened her mouth, but under the stern look of Odhu she closed it again and pouted. They stared each other down for a few moments before tears began to fill in the corners of Candy's eyes. Odhu had no idea how to respond to such an emotional display, so she just looked away awkwardly.

"Fine," Candy huffed, trying to keep her voice even.

Odhu bit her bottom lip and nodded, "Well… Bye then."

Candy ran forward quickly and hugged Odhu around the waist. Odhu was shocked and stiffened up at first, but eventually she returned the hug. Candy pulled away quickly, wiped the tears from her eyes, and smiled sadly.

"Bye Odhu," Candy said, "I hope you'll be ok."

"You too," Odhu replied uncomfortably, "and tell Kiri I said bye too. And thanks."

Candy nodded, and when it seemed their conversation was over, Odhu turned on her heels and ran to catch up to Argenta, who was disappearing into the distance. Candy sniffed quietly and turned around too. One of the Kiri-rescue group was gone, and a bit of Candy felt very empty because of it. She decided to return back to Kiri and tell him the news.

* * *

><p>"You heal very fast, Artemis," Ray commented pleasantly as he performed his routine check-up.<p>

Artemis smiled graciously and replied, "All thanks to my excellent healer."

Ray laughed as he cast his usual healing spell. Artemis had become used to the warm sensation of his healing, and it always put her in a good mood.

"I'm flattered," Ray grinned back as he stood up and stretched, "Anyways, Artemis, you should be good to go by tomorrow. Just make sure you don't strain yourself after that for a while."

Artemis nodded, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Ray nodded, "You're one of the only patients I've ever had that I actually believe when they say that."

Artemis chuckled happily, "Now it's my turn to be flattered."

"You should be," Ray responded with mock seriousness, "it is one of the highest compliments I can give."

"How kind of you," Artemis joked as Ray headed for the door.

"You know it," Ray replied back distractedly, "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow Artemis."

"Are you heading out for today?" Artemis asked out of curiosity.

Artemis narrowed her eyes when she saw the tinge of red on Ray's skin as he answered, "Yeah, I'm going to go meet my friend for a bit."

"I hope you two have a lovely time," Artemis replied in a suggestive tone, satisfied when the red tinge became more noticeable.

"Thanks," Ray muttered as he left.

Artemis smiled happily to herself as she settled back into the bed. Recently, she had been thinking about Ray quite a lot. He was pleasant to talk to and very capable, which Artemis always appreciated. The more she thought about Ray, however, the less she thought about Kiri, and whenever she realized this a sudden feeling of guilt would wash over her. She sighed restlessly, wondering what had come over her recently to make her act like a lovesick puppy.

Ray, meanwhile, poked his head into Kiri's room. Kiri was just lounging around, staring up at the ceiling with a distant expression on his face. Ray knocked quickly on the door to announce his presence and Kiri sat upright quickly when he noticed his visitor.

"You're free to go if you want," Ray told him, news that sounded like music to Kiri's ears.

He immediately jumped off the bed and hurried out the door after Ray had left. His mind was buzzing with renewed energy and he also knew he had a lot to sort out, so he started to make a quick list in his head of things to do. He had to find Candy and Odhu and Art and Artemis of course, to not only get caught up on what was going on but to thank them as well. He reached the bottom of the stairs and dashed out the front door, where he nearly crashed straight into someone else. They were short and squeaked in surprise at the encounter. Kiri blinked quickly and recognized the squeak as one belonging to Candy. He scooped her up into a hug and swung her around.

"Candy!"

"Kiri!" Candy gasped in surprise.

Kiri set Candy down and smiled at her. For some reason, Candy did not smile back, and it made Kiri nervous. Did something happen that he was forgetting about? Was she mad at him? Candy cast her eyes to the ground and played with a loose stone on the ground.

"Is something wrong?" Kiri asked Candy nervously as she continued to avoid his gaze.

Candy nodded and rubbed at her eyes as if she had just finished crying. Kiri's smile melted off his face and he forced himself to cast aside his excited energy in favor of a serious disposition.

"What is it?" He prompted Candy in a gentle voice, resting a hand on her should in an attempt to comfort her with his presence.

"Odhu left," Candy muttered, "she told me to tell you she said goodbye."

Kiri allowed the news to sink in for a bit. He had to admit he was disappointed. Although Odhu had seemed quiet, unsociable, and hostile at first, there was always something about her that nagged Kiri to get to know her better, or at least give her a chance. And she had helped to save him after all. He had not even gotten the opportunity to properly thank her. The mysterious sorceress he had felt oddly attracted to had left, and Kiri felt deflated at the thought. Someone had left him.

"I'm gonna miss her," Kiri commented sadly, to which Candy nodded in agreement.

"She was cool when you got to know her," Candy added.

Then, Candy stepped forward and pulled Kiri into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hid her face in his chest. Kiri ran a hand through her soft hair and returned the hug as best he could. His muscles were still sore from the uncomfortable transformations. After moments of silence, Candy finally pulled away and looked up at Kiri.

"Can I ask you something?" Candy requested of Kiri out of nowhere.

Kiri blinked and shrugged, "Sure."

"You like Art and Artemis, right?" Candy asked the question bluntly, making Kiri feel very awkward all of a sudden. He opened his mouth to respond, but his words were slow in coming.

"Yeah," He eventually responded, "why?"

"I just wanted to make sure," Candy mumbled, "I always felt something was a bit off."

Candy still remembered the short amount of time they had spent together in her house out in the woods, before all the bad things happened. It was peaceful and serene, and it made her happy and hopeful, but she could always sense that Kiri's heart was very far away from hers. Now, she accepted it fully, as she suspected Odhu had as well. It had always been Art and Artemis, and it would always be. But eventually Kiri would have to decide.

"Remember what I told you," Candy added when Kiri said nothing, "about love. You have to have the right definitions."

Kiri nodded, vividly remembering the oddly sage advice Candy had given him from what seemed like forever ago. At the time, he had not been able to make much sense out of it, but now that he started to think more, he was beginning to realize just how it applied to him. Now he just had to make his decision.

"Come on," Candy nudged him slightly, "let's go visit Artemis."

Kiri nodded numbly and followed Candy back inside and up the stairs. They knocked on the door to Artemis' room and waited until they heard Artemis call them inside. Kiri felt his stomach do a quick flip at the sound of Artemis' voice, but he steeled himself and followed Candy inside. He saw Artemis sitting there on the bed, and she smiled widely when he locked eyes with her.

"Looks like you're doing better," Artemis noted cheerfully as she looked Kiri up and down.

Kiri rubbed the back of his head guiltily, "All thanks to you guys."

Artemis laughed, "Anything for you."

"I think I'll go find Art," Candy said suddenly and left, leaving Kiri and Artemis alone at last.

"So," Kiri began when Candy was gone, "are you doing ok?"

"I'll be fine," Artemis told Kiri dismissively, though she was pleased by his concern for her, "Ray's quite the qualified healer."

Artemis immediately regretted saying that. There she went again, thinking about Ray and not Kiri, even when Kiri was right there in front of her. She felt guilty, but mostly confused. Kiri, on the other hand, felt a sudden pang of jealousy in his heart. Ray was just like Artemis after all, a front-line kind of person with extraordinary skill and a dependable, steady disposition. Even Artemis liked Ray. What if, after how foolish he had been and how much trouble he had caused, Artemis was tired of Kiri? Had she found someone new? Kiri did not want to believe it, and yet somehow it consumed his thoughts until it seemed to be the only logical explanation left.

"He's almost as impressive as you," Kiri complimented Artemis in an attempt to reverse the subject of praise from Ray to anyone else. He saw Artemis smile graciously and the pain in his heart faded away slightly.

"I still have a lot I could improve on," Artemis replied modestly.

Kiri chuckled good-naturedly, "I think you're perfect just the way you are."

"That means a lot coming from you," Artemis blushed slightly, but inside she was starting to worry. It felt wrong, being praised by Kiri. Why didn't it make her happy anymore? Why did she miss Ray's smile so much?

"Anyways," Kiri moved on, unaware of what Artemis was thinking, "I wanted to talk to you about, you know, everything. I think… I think I still want to join you on the front-lines, if you still want to do that."

Artemis hid her brief moment of panic well and nodded in consideration of Kiri's words. She had to come up with a plan, a distraction, or delay, anything to prevent herself from having to give a straight answer right away. She had a feeling Kiri was implying something beyond just the surface suggestion he had proposed.

"Ah, yeah, we got kind of sidetracked huh?" Artemis chuckled slightly.

"Yeah," Kiri joined in on the laughter.

"I think after a bit of a break it might be nice," Artemis hummed, "I just need a bit of time to recover after everything that's happened recently."

Kiri nodded in respect for Artemis's wishes, though he felt there was something evasive about the answer, and it made him even more insecure. Was this all about Ray? The cleric he had at first respected was turning into more of a competitor than Kiri would have liked.

"That's fine," Kiri told Artemis politely, "take as much time as you need."

"Thanks, Kiri," Artemis told him, relieved that he had not questioned her explanation, at least for the time being.

Just then, a dark shadow descended upon the room. Though it was still supposed to be light outside, it felt as if something had blocked out the sun. Kiri's eyes struggled to adjust quickly to the new darkness and he shifted uncomfortably on his sore feet. He heard Artemis draw a sharp gasp. Kiri looked around to try and find the source of the dark, but he saw nothing suspicious. Still, why was it so dark?

"Kiri," Artemis asked quietly, "do you hear that?"

Kiri strained his ears to listen and eventually caught the sound of someone laughing. It was ominous, sinister, and unstable, but the worst part of it was that Kiri recognized it. Artemis did too, but she swore it was impossible. She was going to say so out loud when suddenly the floor beneath them vanished, to be replaced with a void of impenetrable black. Kiri felt the floor disappear from under him, and gravity pulled him down immediately. Artemis plummeted down next to him, and the descent made them both sick and dizzy. With a final lurch in which the world seemed to be turned upside down, Artemis and Kiri ended up outside, coughing and spluttering on the ground as the solid black amassed in front of them to form a hideous shape. It had glowing purple eyes, just like the color of the sickening poison Elena had been trying to produce, and its arms and legs ended in sharp points. It was black shadow figure facing them with a twisted leer.

"How dare you ruin my experiment," It hissed as a tendril of darkness reached out for Artemis.

Artemis rolled away in time, but in her weakened state she could not support herself for long, much less fight back effectively. Kiri too was finding it hard to react.

"You thought you saw the last of me," The shadow hissed, a voice that screeched in their ears and made them flinch in uncontrollable fear, "you were wrong. You can't kill me that easily."

"Elena?" Artemis gasped out as another black tendril reached out to try and grasp her ankle.

The shadow figure laughed at Artemis's feeble attempt to escape, "That's right."

The shadow wrapped around Artemis's leg and Kiri saw her face contort in pain. He tried to use light magic to get the shadow away from her, but he felt emptiness and despair in place of his usual magic. The shadow figure swatted him away easily and lurched closer to Artemis, who was being further consumed by the darkness.

"I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do," The shadow hissed to Artemis as it loomed over her.

"Stop!" Kiri yelled at the shadowy Elena, though of course he was ignored.

Panic began to overwhelm him as he realized that now yet another person would be leaving him, and he was powerless to stop it. People would continue to leave him, even if he wanted them to stay. He thought they would stay, but was he foolish for assuming that? Had he taken advantage of the fact that they cared?

He reached out to try and cast one final, desperate attack against Elena, when suddenly something glowing and blue sliced through the air and cut through the darkness like a glorious beacon of light. At first, Kiri looked down at his hands and wondered if he had done that. But after a moment, he heard footsteps and another wave of blue cut its way through the dark air, freeing Artemis from the shadowy grasp pinning her down. Kiri looked behind him and saw the figure of a guy wielding a large sword. He had untamed, pale blonde hair and a wild grin on his face and he sprinted up to the shadow and began to slice away at it with his sword. Kiri made his way over to Artemis as she tried to sit up.

"Are you ok?" Kiri asked her nervously.

Artemis just nodded her head and watched the mysterious new arrival hack away at Elena with ease. He looked very happy while he was doing it, and Kiri could not tell if that was good thing or bad thing. Eventually, Elena shrunk away with a screeching hiss. As the darkness gave way once again to light, the swordsman turned around to face Kiri and Artemis with that wild grin still on his face and his sword gleaming with the remnants of blue light.

"You two alright?" He asked them with a wink.

Kiri just nodded in astonishment as he sat there on the ground next to Artemis. Again, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and recognized the voice of Ray as he entered the square.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ray approached the swordsman, who grinned apologetically and shrunk back slightly as Ray stormed up.

"Sorry, Ray," He tried to placate the angry cleric, "I was on my way when I saw these two needed some help."

"Help?" Ray turned to look at Kiri and Artemis and suddenly his anger faded away to be replaced with concern, "What are you two doing out here?"

"They were being attacked by some creepy shadow thing," The swordsman answered for Kiri and Artemis, "wait you know these two?"

"They were two of my patients," Ray answered distractedly as he knelt down to check on Artemis, who was clutching her ankle, "are you alright?"

Ray cast another healing spell and immediately Artemis relaxed. Kiri helped her stand up and turned to face the swordsman.

"Who are you?" Kiri asked, more confused than anything else.

"This is Inne," Ray introduced the swordsman before he could even open his mouth.

"That's _Sir _Inne to you," Inne added in cheekily, receiving a gentle shove from Ray.

"I already told you," Ray scolded Inne unenthusiastically, "nobody is going to call _you _a sir."

Artemis recovered rather quickly considering the circumstances and stood up, stepping gingerly on her ankle and smiling slightly when it seemed to be just fine. She glanced at Inne and her smile tilted down into a vague frown.

"Is this your friend?" Artemis asked Ray, noting the sidelong glance Inne shot Ray when she asked the question. Ray nodded in confirmation and successfully ignored the look Inne was giving him, though Artemis noticed it clearly.

"Well," Artemis returned her attention to Inne, who grinned mischievously at her, "thank you for the help."

"No problem!" Inne winked at her and this time it was Ray's turn to shoot a look at Inne, though the swordsman pretended not to notice.

"Anyways," Kiri cleared his throat to make his presence known again, "that was Elena?"

Artemis shrugged, "I guess so."

"Well," Inne clapped his hands together, "I didn't kill her, so she'll probably be back later. Maybe we should hold out somewhere until then."

"Brilliant," Ray muttered under his breath, just quiet enough so that no one would notice, though Artemis saw his lips moving out of the corner of her eye. The feeling that something was very wrong was becoming overwhelming to her.

"Let's head back inside then," Kiri suggested, "so Artemis can rest."

Ray nodded and offered his arm out for Artemis to take. With a polite smile she accepted Ray's gentlemanly offer and allowed him to help her back inside, leaving Kiri and Inne together outside. Kiri glared at the back of Ray's head and felt the sudden urge to push him away and help Artemis inside himself. Meanwhile, he saw Inne grit his teeth next to him. The swordsman lugged his sword inside with a huff, following behind in the wake of Ray and Artemis. Kiri wondered why the swordsman seemed so upset as well. Then he headed inside too.

"Thanks, Ray," Artemis's voice echoed down from upstairs and Kiri felt his hand clench into a tight fist.

"Ray!" Inne shouted at the bottom of the stairs, "Get down here!"

Ray's irritated face appeared at the top of the stairs and he frowned, "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you," Inne answered moodily and stalked away.

Kiri decided to go and talk with Artemis, so he passed a rather annoyed looking Ray on the way upstairs as the cleric went to go talk with Inne. Kiri could feel the tension radiating off the cleric in waves and kept any comment he was tempted to make to himself. When he reached the room Artemis was in, he let out a quick sigh and closed the door behind him.

"For friends," Kiri said to Artemis distractedly, "they sure seem annoyed with each other."

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Obviously."

"What do you mean obviously?" Kiri asked as Artemis reopened the door he had just closed and stuck her head out into the hallway.

Artemis pressed a finger against his lips and shushed him without a word. Kiri blinked as Artemis turned away and headed towards the staircase. Voices drifted up from the first floor, and Artemis strained to listen. She had a hunch about something.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" Inne's voice asked in a hushed tone.

Artemis heard Ray's irritated sigh as he replied, "How should I know?"

"You're usually perceptive?" Inne suggested tentatively.

"Unfortunately," Ray muttered bitterly.

"Oh, come on," Inne protested, "I said I didn't mean it!"

"And I believed you," Ray snapped back.

"Well what about you, huh?" Inne accused suddenly, his voice raising a bit.

"What about me?" Ray asked defensively.

There was a pause of silence in which Artemis could not hear them speaking. Inne must have done or said something, though, because a moment later Ray spoke again.

"You're such an idiot," Ray huffed.

"Sorry," Inne countered angrily, "I thought we were _friends_."

"You have got to be kidding me," Ray muttered, "I don't have time for this right now."

"So sorry for taking up your precious time, then," Inne snapped.

The conversation ended abruptly when Artemis heard pounding footsteps approaching the stairs. She quickly retreated and ushered Kiri back into her room, where she closed the door silently as someone else thumped upstairs. Artemis and Kiri exchanged surprised expressions, and Kiri was the first to break the silence.

"I never thought Ray was the arguing type," He noted passively.

Artemis shoved him, "You're such an idiot."

"That sounds familiar," Kiri joked to try and lighten the atmosphere.

Despite herself, Artemis grinned. She realized in that moment, as Kiri sat down on her bed and looked at her expectantly, that he really did care about her. And the more she thought about everything, the more she began to realize that perhaps, in her crazy, confused world, she had only taken a liking to Ray for providing some stability and sanity. He was still great, but something was telling her he wouldn't be available for quite some time. And there was a perfectly good cleric that already cared about her sitting in the same room as her.

"Hey Kiri," Artemis spoke up suddenly, "I've been thinking… I would love it if you still joined me on the front-lines."

Kiri's face lit up into a brilliant smile and he leapt up to pull Artemis into a tight hug. She returned the hug with a light laugh, and that laugh sent all Kiri's worries out the window. He should have known he was being paranoid, but it was so hard to tell himself that when it all looked so possible. But now everything seemed perfectly fine.

That is, until Kiri pulled out of the hug and looked out of the window. Shadows were rolling back over the square and Kiri heard a scream from far away. There was a quick knock at the door, and when Artemis opened it Ray was there, looking stressed more than anything.

"She's back, and she brought some friends with her," Ray told them dully, then cringed when Inne's voice called from downstairs.

"Come on!"

"Coming!" Ray shouted back and rushed away.

Outside, the monstrous shade that was Elena was standing there waiting for them on the bridge over the stream, and she had indeed brought company. Dozens more shades lined up behind her, their black, spectral mass blending in with the darkness they cast and making it hard to see them, except for their piercing eyes. Elena cackled hoarsely and her shadowy limbs elongated to strike. Inne held up his sword and prepared to counterattack.


	26. Chapter 26

Candy skipped along through the path that led to the Autumn Shore, following the path of faint footsteps in the dusty ground. She wondered what Art could be doing so far away from Carderock, but she was also worried about how Art would react to Odhu leaving. Candy liked to think that the four of them had become a pretty good team after everything, so if it made Candy sad to see Odhu leave surely everyone else would feel sad too. When she left the ruins near Carderock and spotted the familiar waters of the shore, she noticed Art sitting up in the branches of a tree, staring off into the distance. Candy strolled over and tilted her head back to look up at Art.

"Art!" Candy called up to the elf, who jumped in her seat and looked around wildly until she spotted Candy below her.

"What?" Art's voice sounded tense.

"I need to talk to you about something," Candy said uncomfortably, gaining Art's full attention.

Art leapt down easily from the tree and landed gracefully on her feet in front of Candy. She stretched out slightly and tilted her head to one side.

"What is it?" Art asked Candy curiously.

"Odhu decided to leave with Argenta," Candy told Art solemnly, watching Art's expression carefully.

Art frowned, unsure how to feel. While Odhu had proved herself to be a reliable friend when she was needed, Art still could not get over the fact that Odhu had been an enemy at first. She was unsure what to think of Odhu, and that made her uncomfortable.

"Did she say why?" Art questioned carefully, not wanting to upset Candy, who was clearly taking the news harder than Art was.

Candy shook her head, "Not really. Just that she had to do it."

"Huh," Art pondered out loud, and when she noticed Candy's face she added quickly, "I hope she'll be alright."

"Me too," Candy nodded furiously, "I'm gonna miss her."

"Yeah," Art agreed distractedly.

Candy decided to drop the subject, not expecting Art to say much else. Instead, she wanted to figure out what Art was doing all the way out here, though she already had her own suspicions.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Candy asked Art casually to try and figure things out.

"Just thinking," Art replied dismissively, avoiding Candy's gaze.

Candy narrowed her eyes at Art, "You were thinking about Kiri, huh?"

"What? What gave you that idea?" Art was quick to jump on the defensive, reassuring Candy that she was on the right track.

"It's ok, I think it's perfectly normal for you to want to think," Candy assured Art to calm her down.

Art's shoulders relaxed slightly and she gave Candy a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Candy hummed slightly as she tried to articulate her thoughts, "you must be worried about Kiri and Artemis and trying to figure out what to do, because you like him and all."

Art sighed, "I guess."

"You guess what?" Now it was Candy's turn to be confused.

"I was just wondering," Art explained flatly, "if he's worth it."

"Huh?" Candy was dumbfounded by Art's sudden change in feelings towards the person Candy was sure Art liked.

"I mean," Art struggled to word everything, "he's great. But so many people think that. And it's really hard trying to like him when so many other people do, because he always seems to focus on them and not on me. And I don't think I could stand it if I had to keep sharing or worrying that someone might take him away from me."

As Art ranted on about the difficulties of liking a person like Kiri, Candy was astounded by how insightful Art sounded. It seemed like she had really thought about this a lot, and it also made a lot of sense, especially when Candy considered that Kiri and Artemis were pretty close. Candy never quite appreciated how hard it must have been for Art, but now she was beginning to understand everything much better, and that made her pity Art all the more. Art was debating whether or not to give up her heart or her sanity.

"Maybe," Candy spoke up after Art was done, "you should talk to him about it. Be direct."

"What?" Art looked terrified by the idea of confronting the source of her emotional turmoil in such a manner.

"Well, then you'll have your answers and can stop worrying about it," Candy reasoned out logically, wanting to keep the situation from getting too dramatic.

"That sounds," Art paused as she actually began to think about it, "not bad, actually."

"Exactly," Candy smiled playfully.

"Let's go, then," Art grabbed Candy by the hand and forcibly dragged her back towards Carderock, "I have a cleric I need to talk to."

Candy watched as her dragging heels made tracks in the dirt and rolled her eyes in affectionate exasperation. She had been a simple alchemist before this, practicing her medicine and remedies in a nice, peaceful town, but then these people came along and swept her up into something so much bigger than the small bubble of a world she lived in. And now that she could see the bigger picture, she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to her quaint, simple little life. There were bigger and better things for her out there.

* * *

><p>Elena left no time for idle chatter. She struck hard and she struck fast, but fortunately Inne was quick to react. He launched into battle, the blue gleam returning to his sword once again. Not that Kiri did not appreciate how skillful of a swordsman Inne must be, but Kiri was more curious about a certain priest with them. Ray was watching Inne fight with a passive expression on his face, and Kiri had to wonder what it was a priest like Ray could do in combat. Surely there was something. Kiri wanted to know what it was like.<p>

Ray caught Kiri staring at him and arched an eyebrow in amusement. Kiri's face fell when he saw Ray giving him that look, so he tried to pretend he had been doing something else.

"Curious?" Ray asked him conversationally as he drew his wand.

Kiri shrugged, trying his best to act casual, "Maybe a bit."

Ray laughed slightly under his breath and continued to watch Inne fight with Elena. The contrast between endless black slashes and blue swipes was entrancing, but quickly Elena was joined by her fellow shades and Inne was quickly being overwhelmed. He dashed around with stunning agility, trying his best to avoid all the attacks being directed at him, but the blows were inevitable and Inne quickly began to slow down as the pain started to weaken his body. Ray was diligent in his observations and cast a heal to restore Inne, and the swordsman was good as new. In the heat of battle, it seemed Inne had forgotten all about his fight with Ray, because he shot Ray a goofy smile as if everything between them was fine. Kiri noticed Ray sigh at the behavior of Inne and wondered if the swordsman was always like this.

From next to Kiri, Artemis drew her bow and stepped forward to join the fight. She was just notching an arrow to fire when Ray put an arm in front of her and frowned. She stared back at him defiantly, silently daring him to try and stop her from joining the fight, but he remained completely unaffected.

"You still need to rest," Ray told Artemis sternly.

Artemis huffed and lowered her bow unhappily. Kiri watched her out of the corner of his eye and wondered if he would ever have to stop her from charging into battle like that. Would he be able to do it?

Just then they heard a surprised shout from Inne. One of the shades had impaled him through the shoulder with a blade of pure black smoke, and blood soaked through his clothes. Ray's face paled when he realized he had not been paying enough attention and he left Artemis's side in a heartbeat, leaving a stunned Kiri to watch as he finally got to see just what happened when a combat priest was ready to fight.

Needless to say, it was a bit terrifying. Lightning flew everywhere, and if Kiri was not a priest himself, he would have been scared of getting electrocuted immediately. He shifted his position to shield Artemis due to that very thought and watched the shades fall before Ray's wand as if he had just patted away harmless puffs of dust. Kiri wanted to be able to do that too.

"Inne!" Ray hurried to heal up Inne as the swordsman tried to stop the flow of blood pouring out of his wound.

Inne laughed weakly as his wound began to close up due to the holy magic, "What's the matter, Ray?"

"You, obviously," Ray scowled, though it was rather uninspired. The worry was clearly apparent in his eyes.

"When am I not?" Inne joked lightly as the pain in his shoulder vanished along with the traces of holy light in the air around them.

"True," Ray agreed absentmindedly and smiled as Inne stretched out his mended shoulder and charged back into battle. Talk about mood swings, Kiri assessed in amusement.

Meanwhile, off in the distance and just entering the square, Candy and Art's stroll came to a stop. It was ominously dark and unnerving, and the two of them quickly spotted the source of the chaos. An unfamiliar swordsman was battling against hordes of black shades, and Art also noticed Kiri and Artemis standing close together. She sighed outwardly and felt that familiar sense of deflation in her gut, signaling that her hope was misplaced after all. It was too much work, too much stress, and Art knew that, but still it was unlike her to just drop everything. She could not deny her emotions even if she wanted to. What was she supposed to do, just leave Kiri? Give up, just like that? It seemed even more unreasonable than staying with him, and Art knew how foolish that idea was too.

"What's going on here?" Candy wondered out loud as she tugged on Art's arm in order to approach Kiri and Artemis, who were standing on the outskirts of the fight and watching nervously.

Art felt something snap in her mind and she took the lead in heading up to Kiri. Candy trailed behind her and watching apprehensively as Art tapped Kiri on the shoulder, making him jump wildly and spin around. When he saw Art standing there uncomfortably, he took a deep breath and put a hand over his heart.

"Art! You scared me!" He exclaimed, still trying to get over the initial shock.

"Sorry," Art mumbled sheepishly and looked away from Kiri. Her stomach was churning. How was she supposed to ask something like this? And with Artemis right there too! And yet, something told her she would not get another opportunity like this one. She just needed to get her thoughts off her chest. Besides, the swordsman looked like he was managing just fine.

"Kiri," Art muttered quietly, trying to keep Artemis out of the conversation, "I need to talk to you about something."

"What?" Kiri tilted his head slightly and gave his undivided attention to Art.

Art gestured subtly for Kiri to follow her, so they stepped away from the battle to a more isolated position from the rest of the group. Art stared down at her quiver and counted the number of times the arrows clanked against each other. It was too hard to try and think properly.

"What is it, Art?" Kiri prompted again when Art stopped walking.

Art took a deep breath and looked Kiri straight in the eye, afraid that looking away would make her lose what little resolve she had in her.

"I need to know," Art declared, "if you like me or not."

Kiri blinked, "Of course I like you!"

"No," Art snapped and shook her head, "I mean _like _me."

"What?" Kiri's face paled slightly and he realized just what Art was talking about. He knew he would have to decide sooner or later, but actually telling Art what his choice was felt impossible. He thought he had made up his mind, but seeing Art in front of him made him doubt himself all over again. How could he choose between the two?

"I can't take it, Kiri," Art told him flatly, "all the uncertainty. I don't know if I can deal with it anymore."

Kiri stood there frozen in place as the words he had always been dreading to hear fell upon his ears. Art was sick of it, and he had no idea what to say.

"Listen," Kiri stuttered and tried to think quickly, "I don't want you to leave, Art."

Art sighed, "But with Artemis here…"

"But I still like you Art," Kiri protested, throwing caution to the wind. He was expecting Art's eyes to shine with a new glimmer of hope, but much to his horror they just steeled with a look of firm disbelief and pain. Maybe it was too late after all.

"Kiri," Art said in hardly more than a whisper lest she give away the quivering sadness in her voice pushing her to the verge of tears, "I don't think I could ever love someone else but you, and yet I don't want to stay here when there's no point. I'll always love you, but-"

"Look out!"

Kiri whipped around to see Inne shouting back at them. Kiri was sure something passed by his eyes, blurring his vision for a moment, but then it was gone. He stared at Inne, who was staring wordlessly back. Kiri wondered why. He turned back around to hear the rest of Art's words, but she too was just staring up at him with wide eyes. Kiri was starting to worry. Art's eyes were wide, fearful, and clouded with pain. It unsettled Kiri.

"Art?" He asked carefully when she did not speak.

In response, Art slowly looked down. Her gaze drifted to her stomach, and Kiri followed it down until he finally realized what was wrong. A thin wisp of black smoke drifted out of a large wound in Art's stomach, and it was starting to bleed. Art's skin was ghostly pale as she fell to her knees, trying to grasp at her injury, but her hands were so shaky she could barely move them. Kiri fell on his knees next to her and felt panic bubbling in his stomach. He pulled out his wand and cast a powerful healing spell, channeling all his own life force and holy magic into it in a desperate attempt to save Art. For a moment, he thought it had worked. The wound sealed up and a bit of color returned to Art's skin, but only for a moment. That black smoke seared through the mended skin and formed another injury, just as bad as the first, and Kiri saw a tear fall down Art's cheek. The wound was cursed, to return no matter how many times it was healed. Kiri's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and his own hands shook as he held Art's.

"Art!" Kiri desperately tried to call the elf's name, hoping to keep her from closing her eyes and she leaned heavily into him. Blood pooled on the cool ground, soaking into Kiri's robes, but he did not care. Art was dying. What was he supposed to do?

Art shook her head faintly and looked up into Kiri's eyes, the light rapidly fading from her own. Kiri squeezed her hand tightly, trying to ground her, but it made no difference. Kiri felt someone's presence over his shoulder and saw Ray looking down grimly at the wound. Kiri stared up at Ray as he cast his own healing spell. The wound closed again, but it was still no use. It reopened moments later, and Ray's eyes darkened, something stirring in him that Kiri had never seen before.

"Kiri," Art gasped out weakly, resigned to her fate, "I love you."

Kiri stared down wordlessly at Art, whose eyes were drooping dangerously. Brushing off any other thoughts he may have, Kiri leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Art's lips. Art could hardly return the gesture, but Kiri could tell from the look in her fading eyes that she was surprised, though pleasantly so.

"I love you too," Kiri muttered as Art's hand slipped out of his grasp and landed on the cold ground. Tears escaped his eyes and fell into the pool of Art's blood.

Suddenly Candy and Artemis were standing over his shoulder, trying to comfort him as he cried, but it was too hard to keep themselves from doing the same. They heard the sounds of intense combat behind them, but they no longer paid it any mind. Ray and Inne were capable. But they had just lost a comrade, a friend, a love. What were they supposed to do but mourn? So mourn they did.


	27. Chapter 27

Inne and Ray finished off the battle and defeated Elena, but Kiri felt little reason to celebrate. He had shut himself away to be alone. Art was dead. They had buried the body of course, but all elves turned into trees upon their deaths, and now a brand new, young cherry tree. The delicate pink blossoms fluttered down from the branches and came to blanket the earth underneath it.

Kiri closed his eyes, imagining himself surrounded by the soft pink petals of the tree that had once been Art, when he was jolted from his daydream by a knock at his door. Though he really wanted to be alone, he opened the door and let Artemis inside. She gave him a meaningful look at sat down on the bed next to him, her legs neatly folded underneath her. Her stare froze him in place.

"Kiri," She began slowly, "I have to head back to the front lines soon… I can understand if you don't want to come with me."

Kiri's mind worked slowly. He was heartbroken, and the thought of leaving the cherry tree behind terrified him, but even Art had been able to recognize something. Kiri had chosen Artemis in the end. With Art gone, he was scared, but Artemis was still there. Artemis was patient with him, and kind, and supportive, and a kind of steady, mature anchor in his life. Giving that up would be downright foolish. Art had died, but she had finally given clarity to Kiri's life. She had been fun, silly, energetic, and a wonderful, fresh change of pace, but that pace had died with her, and it was time to get back to the pace that suited him best. Kiri shook his head and stood up.

"Let's go now," He declared suddenly, shocking Artemis.

"Now?" Artemis jumped up behind him and followed him outside.

Kiri strolled forward purposefully, with Artemis trailing behind him, concerned and confused. Kiri walked up to the beautiful cherry tree. A petal fell from one of the branches and he held out his hand so the petal could settle in his palm. He closed his hand around it and tucked the petal safely away, feeling a radiance and serenity wash over his heart and warm his hand. The tree was Art, and now Art could still be with him. She loved him, how could he deny her that, the most powerful of all emotions?

"Leaving?" Kiri heard a voice ask behind them and turned around to see Ray and Inne standing there solemnly.

Kiri nodded stiffly and turned to look away from the tree.

"I'm sorry," Ray apologized suddenly, that familiar, dark look back in his eyes, "I let her die."

Kiri's eyes burned from the blunt statement Ray made, and he could not deny that he had blamed Ray for her death earlier, now that Ray was there, and Kiri saw that outrage burning in Ray's eyes, he knew Ray blamed himself, and it was for no good reason. There was nothing to be done. Art died following her heart, a death suiting the impulsive, foolish, loveable elf.

"Don't blame yourself," Kiri told Ray sternly.

Ray nodded and Kiri took that as his queue to leave.

"Thanks for everything," Kiri told Ray and Inne as they passed.

Ray nodded, "See you around."

"Good luck you two," Artemis added with a quick smirk at the flustered look on Ray's face and the amused look on Inne's.

Artemis reached out and took Kiri's hand in hers as they made their way to the airship that would take them off to the front-lines. Kiri felt stronger with Artemis next to him, and he was ready to move on from Carderock Pass. He had overstayed his welcome and it was time to move on. His cherry blossom petal kept him feeling warm and safe, and Artemis next to him made him smile.

Though, off in the distance, a woman in a red cloak with silver hair, watched carefully. The cherry blossom was warm, but not as warm as the light magic pulsing from deep within Kiri. Not his own magic, but the magic of what was keeping him purified. Argenta would have to keep an eye on Kiri, and the piece of Gerrant's soul burning alive within him.

Kiri, though, had no idea.

* * *

><p><strong>The End~ <strong>


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